Livin' the Dream in Lima

I don't know what it is about rice krispy treats, but they are one of the best things in the entire world. Ooey gooey marshmallow and crispy cereal. But they have to be homemade! None of those blue metallic wrapped things... they just don't do it for me. I've been having fun over the past few months creating some twists on the classic rice krispy treats, including Oreo Rice Krispy Treats and Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats. And then I had a thought... Red Velvet Rice Krispy Treats ? Is that a thing? And lo and behold, after a trusty Google search, it is definitely  a thing! There were many different twists - regular rice krispies cereal, cocoa krispies, cream cheese frosting, red food coloring, etc... I ended up going with a cocoa krispies cereal base, and adding red velvet cake mix to the marshmallow mixture. I even went a step further and added chocolate chips because I am a chocolate lover, but you could easily substitute white chocolate chips or leave them out...

It's that time of year guys... Valentine's Day is just 2 weeks away! That means it's time to whip up some baked goods for your loved ones. Or you know, just for yourself, especially if your Business Man's not that much of a 'sweets' person.  These brownies are ultra-decadent, stuffed with Dove cherry dark chocolates, and layered with a shortbread crust. And yes, there might be almost an entire pound of butter in one 9x9-inch pan. Watch out Paula, someone's on your heels with butter usage!  But no worries, these are perfectly rich and fudgy so that you only need a small sliver. And then another small sliver. And another after that. So that really you have eaten 2.5 brownies but no one will ever know. ;-) Chocolate layer in the center... oh yea. The Dove cherry dark chocolates are actually a special product for Valentine's Day. I had intended to use some Hershey Raspberry White Creme kisses in these brownies, but after trips to Ray's, Me...