Red Velvet S’mores Bars

I actually planned to bake these for Vagina Monologues but by the time I finished all the cake batter madness, it was 3 a.m. and I really needed to sleep. In so doing, I completely disappointed one of my friends (and a friend who’d come from out of town to visit her) because she’d been really looking forward to them and had had her heart set on them. I felt like a terrible human being. :[

In any case, I finally made em’! They’re for the Follies bake sale, which is actually…today! (For once, I’m not writing into the future, mostly because I haven’t been making food lately.) I’ll write about that later! :O

I adapted them from two different recipes (Red Velvet S’mores Bars, Brownies) because this genius forgot to go get brownie mix at the store. Just so we’re clear, these are in no way healthy, but I did decrease the sugar/butter and sub regular flour with whole wheat (I apparently do not possess all-purpose flour) and the oil with applesauce. I also made a bunch of other substitutions based on what I had in my apartment since I didn’t feel like going out to buy a billion different ingredients. :O

The recipes say they make around 12-16, but I ended up with 24. Magic.

Red Velvet S’mores Bars

Ingredients:
(Brownie Layer)
-1 cup white sugar
-3/4 cup butter, melted
-1/3 cup cocoa powder
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-3 eggs
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
(S’mores Layer)
-13 graham cracker squares
-13 giant marshmallows, halved
-7 pieces Hershey’s milk chocolate rectangles
(Red Velvet Layer)
-1 box red velvet cake mix
-1 stick unsalted butter, melted
-1 large egg
-4 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×13 baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2) Add all brownie ingredients (in order) into a bowl and mix well. Spread evenly onto bottom of baking tray.
3) Layer with graham cracker sheets, chocolate and marshmallows.
4) In a large mixing bowl, add red velvet cake mix, melted butter, egg and applesauce. Scoop dough on top and press dough until it’s flattened.
5) Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until baked through. Let cool completely. B(Best if prepared at night and cooled overnight.)
6) When cool, cut into squares and serve!