Red Velvet Chocolate Swirled Bars

INGREDIENTS:

 PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: about 28 minutes

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup light brown sugar 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
•  1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 2 vials red food coloring or as needed 
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• pinch salt, optional 
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
3. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don't scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth.
5. Add the red food coloring and whisk to incorporate. I used 2 vials of red food coloring. Use any type of food coloring you like; you'll need a lot of it because it takes a lot to turn a chocolaty batter red. Keep adding until desired shade is obtained. 
6. Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don't overmix.
7. Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula; set aside.
8. In a small, microwave-safe bowl melt the chocolate chips, about 1 minute on high power. Stop to check and stir. Heat in 10-second bursts until chocolate can be stirred smooth.
9. Drizzle the chocolate over the pan and swirl lightly with the tip of a table knife or a toothpick. To create the pattern shown, drizzle chocolate over batter in 5 wide, evenly spaced, parallel lines, each spanning the length of the pan. Like 5 rows of long train tracks. Rotate pan 90-degrees. With a toothpick, starting at the top of the pan, "draw" 5 evenly spaced lines through the chocolate. You're dragging the toothpick perpendicularly through the first set of lines to create the swirling.
10. Bake for about 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving; however, for optimal results, cool overnight so the chocolate has a chance to fully set up fully.