These Red Velvet Brownies are rich, fudgy, and irresistibly chocolatey, featuring a vibrant red color and shiny crinkle tops. Topped with tangy cream cheese icing, every bite is packed with decadent chocolate flavor. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, holidays, or whenever you’re craving an indulgent treat!
These Red Velvet Brownies are the ultimate indulgence! They combine the rich, velvety flavor of a classic red velvet cake with the fudgy decadence of classic brownies.
Unlike many red velvet brownies that only use a small amount of cocoa powder, these brownies are made with both melted chocolate and cocoa powder for a richer, fudgier, and more chocolatey flavor.Perfect for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or anytime you’re craving a show-stopping dessert. With their vibrant color and irresistibly chewy texture, these brownies are sure to impress your family and friends!
If you love brownies as much as I do then you will love my Peanut butter cup brownies, espresso brownies or cherry chocolate brownies.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Vibrant and Eye-Catching: The stunning red color makes these brownies the perfect treat for Valentines day, holidays or any special occasion.
- Simple to Make: With simple ingredients and no fancy equipment needed, you’ll have delicious brownies ready in no time.
- Irresistibly Fudgy: Just like regular fudgy chocolate brownies these red velvet brownies have shiny crinkly tops, perfectly chewy edges and moist fudgy centers.
- Customizable: Add cream cheese swirls to the brownie batter or white chocolate chips for extra flair.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for control over the saltiness. If using salted butter reduce the salt in the dry ingredients.
- Neutral Oil: This recipe uses a combination of butter and oil to give these brownies the most amazing texture. Use any neutral tasting oil such as canola or vegetable oil.
- White Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and helps create the signature brownie crust.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder for the red velvet flavor and color balance.
- Red Food Coloring: Gel food coloring provides a vibrant red hue without thinning the batter.You can use regular liquid food color as well.
- White Vinegar: Enhances the red color and reacts with the cocoa for that classic red velvet flavor.You can use apple cider vinegar as well.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure to the brownies. Measure accurately to avoid dense or dry results.
- Large Eggs: I like to use room temperature large eggs.
- Dark Chocolate: For best results use high-quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips for a luxurious, rich flavor. You can also use chopped chocolate bars.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Used for both the brownies and icing.Helps to enhance the flavor of the brownies.
- Kosher Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the other flavors in the brownies.
- Full Fat Cream Cheese: I like to use Philadelphia style cream cheese.For a creamy swirl or frosting topping.
- Powdered Sugar: This is also known as confectioners or icing sugar. It makes a smooth icing!
- Milk (optional): Used to thin out the icing.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here is how to make and bake these Red Velvet Brownies. You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer.Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
Step 2: Melt butter, oil and chocolate. Melt the chocolate, oil and butter in a double boiler, large heatproof bowl placed over a medium saucepan of simmering water or in a microwave in 30 second intervals. Set aside to cool slightly. Add the vinegar and red food coloring. Mix until well combined.
Step 3: Beat eggs and sugar. In the bowl of your mixer beat the eggs and sugar at high speed for 6-8 mins until tripled in volume and the sugars are completely dissolved.Do not rush this step as this is what gives the brownies those shiny crinkly tops.
Step 4: Add the melted chocolate. With the mixer on medium speed beat the melted chocolate and butter mixture into the eggs. Slowly add the vanilla extract.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt making to the wet ingredients making sure not to over mix the batter.
Step 6: Pour the batter. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon or offset spatula.
Step 7: Bake. Bake the brownies for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs.Set aside to cool completely.
Step 8:Make the cream cheese icing. In a small bowl beat the softened cream cheese for 3-4 minutes until smooth.Add in the powdered sugar along with the vanilla extract and beat until all the sugar is mixed well.
If you’d like the frosting to be a little thinner or a little less sweet, beat in 1 tablespoon of milk.
Step 9: Decorate with cream cheese icing. Once the brownies are cooled, use a piping bag to pipe the cream cheese icing all over the top of the brownies.
Tips & Tricks
- Line Your Pan: Buttering the sides of the pan and lining with parchment will keep it from sticking to the pan and making it easier to remove once baked.
- Don’t Overbake: Keep an eye on the brownies as they bake; slightly underbaking ensures a fudgy texture.
- Cool Completely: Let the brownies cool fully before decorating with the cream cheese icing.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, etc. are at room temperature before baking. This ensures they’ll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture.
- Let the brownies cool completely before slicing: You can also chill in the fridge for 2 hours before slicing to get those nice clean slices. Use a hot dry knife to get sharp squares.
FAQs
Yes, but you may need to use more, which could slightly affect the batter’s consistency.I highly recommend using gel food color for that deep red color.
Although I have not tested this recipe with gluten free flours you can try to substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
You probably baked them for too long. Brownies should came out of the oven slightly under-baked. When you insert a toothpick or cake tester into the bake, it should come out with few crumbs still attached to it. Even if you over-baked them, they will still be delicious!
Absolutely! Mix in 1 cup of white or dark chocolate chips for added texture and flavor.
Yes these brownies would still be delicious.
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: Keep these red velvet brownies in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature or refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freezing: Wrap individual brownie squares in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Recipes You Will Love
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Recipe
Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Icing
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- 8*8 Square Baking Pan
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 5 ounces Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup Unsalted butter cut into pieces
- ¼ cup Neutral oil
- 1 cup Granulated white sugar
- 3 Large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Unsweetened cocoa powder regular unsweetened or Dutch-processed
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Red food color
- 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
For the cream cheese icing
- ½ cup Cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup Powdered or icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 teaspoon milk optional
Instructions
For the brownies:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate, oil and butter in a large heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water or in a microwave in 30 second intervals. To the melted chocolate whisk in the red food color and vinegar.Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of your mixer beat the eggs and sugar at high speed for 6-8 mins until tripled in volume and the sugar is completely dissolved.Do not rush this step as this is what gives the brownies those shiny crinkly tops.
- Slowly beat in the the melted chocolate mixture to the eggs and sugar.
- With the mixer on low stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt until until no dry spots remain, making sure not to over mix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon or offset spatula. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
For the cream cheese icing:
- In a small bowl beat the softened cream cheese for 3-4 minutes until smooth.Add in the powdered sugar along with the vanilla extract and beat until all the sugar is mixed well.
- If you'd like the frosting to be a little thinner or a little less sweet, beat in 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Once the brownies have cooled. Pipe the icing on the brownies using a piping bag or drizzle with a spoon.
Notes
- Red Food Coloring: Liquid or gel will work, I prefer gel because it’s more concentrated. Feel free to use less or more, depending on how strong of a red color you want your brownies to have.
- White Chocolate drizzle: If you don’t want to use cream cheese icing you can drizzle the brownies with melted white chocolate.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely: To prevent the icing from melting off make sure you let the brownies cool completely before frosting.
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