Red Velvet Brownies Recipe
This Red Velvet Brownies recipe is so easy to make, and the flavor will knock your socks off! Chocolate and cream cheese go so well together, and they only take minutes to prepare.
Just like your favorite red velvet cake, these Red Velvet Brownies are rich and decadent, but with a perfect chewy and dense brownie texture. A white drizzle of cream cheese frosting adds a sweet finishing red velvet touch.
They are super simple to make, taste absolutely amazing, and they make a beautiful presentation. These moist and chewy red velvet brownies are a great dessert for any occasion.
If you love red velvet recipes, you should also try these light and fluffy Red Velvet Cupcakes or for something a little less traditional, these Red Velvet Cake Balls! They’re both super delicious and are guaranteed to satisfy all your red velvet desserts cravings.
Why This Recipe Works
Easy: With simple ingredients and easy to follow instructions, even beginner bakers will nail making these homemade brownies.
Tangy cream cheese frosting: As if they weren’t delicious enough all by themselves, a sweet cream cheese drizzle makes these brownies completely irresistible.
Perfect for holidays: Their gorgeous deep red color makes this Red Velvet Brownie recipe perfect for Valentine’s Day, Christmas or 4th of July or anytime you want a pop of red on your dessert table.
What’s Needed to Make Delicious Red Velvet Brownies
For the Brownie Batter:
To make this red velvet brownies recipe, you will need unsalted butter, an egg, brown sugar, vanilla extract, unsweetened cocoa powder, flour, and red gel food coloring.
For Rich Cream Cheese Frosting:
This simple icing for the drizzle is just cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
How to Make Homemade Red Velvet Brownies:
To Make the Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Melt butter either in a large microwave-safe bowl or stove top in a double boiler.
Add an egg after waiting a minute so you don’t scramble it.
After the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
Whisk in the cocoa until smooth.
Pour in the red food coloring, whisking to incorporate. Keep adding the food coloring until the desired red color is obtained.
Blend in the flour, scraping down the sides as you go; don’t over stir
Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean.
Cool red velvet brownies in a pan for 30 minutes before slicing. Make sure they are room temperature before adding the cream cheese drizzle.
To Make the Cream Cheese Icing:
Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl, mixing until smooth.
If the icing is too thick add 1 TBSP of milk or heavy cream at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, stir to mix.
Spoon cream cheese mixture into a plastic bottle then drizzle on the red velvet brownies.
These chocolate brownies don’t last but a couple of days at my house before they are all gone. But if you have leftovers, they’ll keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
These are perfect brownies for freezing for up to three months and there are two ways to do it.
Let the brownies cool completely and remove the slab from the pan. Wrap the whole sheet of brownies tightly with plastic wrap, then wrap with aluminum foil. You can add the drizzle after they thawed, before serving.
Or, if you’ve already cut and frosted them, wrap each one with a double layer of plastic wrap them slip them into a freezer bag.
Variations and Add-ins
- Nuts: If you really want to give them a signature red velvet look, sprinkle some crushed walnuts or pecans on top of the brownies. If you want to add a little crunch to the brownie layer, you can add about 3/4 cup chopped nuts to the brownie batter recipe.
- Chocolate Chips: Take these fudgy brownies to a whole new level when you add white chocolate chips to the batter. Red brownies studded with little white chips with the cream cheese drizzle over the tops will make these a show stopping dessert.
- Frosting: This recipe calls for the top of the brownies to be drizzled with the frosting. But if you really want to satisfy that sweet tooth, you can make extra and frost the tops just like you would a cake!
- Sprinkles: If you’re making these for a special occasion, or if you’re just feeling a little extra, red sanding sugar or sprinkles are a great idea! You could add green sprinkles for Christmas, pink for Valentine’s Day or blue for 4th of July!
Looking for More Chocolate Deliciousness?
- 22 Easy Homemade Brownie Recipes
- Red Wine Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Rum Cake
- Chocolate Rolled Cake
- 30 Chocolate Valentine’s Day Desserts
- Brownies Bites with Buttercream Filling
Red Velvet Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- 1 C brown sugar packed
- 1 T vanilla
- 1/4 C unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3/4 C flour
- red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients
- 1/2 C cream cheese room temperature
- 3 T unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 C powdered sugar may need up to 1/2 C extra
Instructions
To Make Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt the butter either in a microwave or in a double boiler.
- Add an egg after waiting a minute or two until the butter is cool so you don't scramble it.
- After the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
- Whisk in the cocoa until smooth.
- Pour in the red food coloring, whisking to incorporate. Keep adding the food coloring until the desired red color is obtained.
- Blend in the flour; don't over stir.
- Spoon the batter into pan, smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool brownies in a pan for 30 minutes before icing.
To Make Cream Cheese Drizzle
- Combine the ingredients, mixing until smooth.
- If the icing is too thick add 1 TBSP of milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, stir to mix.
- Spoon into a plastic bottle then drizzle on the red velvet brownies.
