Red Velvet Brownies
These homemade, fudgy Red Velvet Brownies have a classic red velvet taste and are topped off with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting!
A FUN TWIST ON BROWNIES
These brownies are a fun treat to whip up during and are great to bring to potlucks and parties. They are so unique and everyone goes crazy when I bring them for everyone to enjoy! We’re all used to chocolate brownies but when you see that red from a red velvet brownie, it really catches your attention! These are a great combination of a fudgy and a cake-like brownie. Plus, topping them with a frosting really just takes them over the top!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Sure! If you’d like to use a boxed mix, feel free to use my Red Velvet Bars recipe instead. I use a boxed cake mix for those. I’m all about using a time saving option most days, so I totally understand if you want a simpler version.
The more, the better in my book! This recipe can easily be doubled to make in a 9×13-inch baking dish. You may need to adjust the baking time.
No, if you’d like to swap that out, you can. You could use a regular vanilla frosting, white chocolate frosting, or a classic buttercream frosting like I use in my Red Velvet Bars recipe. Just hop over to that recipe and see how to make it if you’d like to use that instead.
You bet. If you like a lot of frosting, I suggest doubling that part of the recipe, but I think a thin layer pairs perfectly with the brownies, so it is not overwhelming. But, to each their own! If you like more frosting, lay it on nice and thick.
Try adding some walnuts, sprinkles, or mini chocolate chips on top for a fun garnish.
No. Because of the ingredients in the frosting, they need to be refrigerated. But, they are best enjoyed at room temperature, so allow it to come to room temp before enjoying.
The cream cheese makes them perishable so they have to be refrigerated. They’ll last up to a week. Don’t forget to pull them out a bit to warm up some before serving.
Also, you can freeze these for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- all-purpose flour – if you aren’t used to baking things from scratch, it is super important you do not overmeasure flour. A lot of people just cram a measuring cup into a bag of flour and pack it in the cup. Please DO NOT do that. You will end up with too much flour and dry brownies. Pour the flour into a large bowl first and stir with a fork. Then dip your measuring cup into the flour and scoop off the excess with the flat end of a butter knife. Do not pack it into the measuring cup. Alternatively you can take a spoon and scoop the flour from the pan into the measuring cup then scoop off excess. Do not pack the flour in – just scoop it into measuring cup until it is full.
- cocoa powder – you want unsweetened coca powder.
- baking soda – make sure your baking soda is fresh. If it doesn’t bubble when you put some in water, that means it is no longer active and your asked goods will not turn out properly.
- light brown sugar – with red velvet brownies it is important to use brown sugar and not white sugar. The brown sugar also has molasses in it which helps with moistness.
- salted butter – use real butter here. Also, I don’t add any additional salt in this recipe which is why I used salted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, you will want to add in about 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- large eggs – if you have time, let the eggs come to room temperature, this will help them to incorporate into the batter much easier.
- vanilla extract
- red food coloring gel – gel works better than liquid food coloring for this kind of recipe.
- cream cheese– softened to room temperature. Use these tips to soften cream cheese quickly.
- powdered sugar
HOW TO MAKE RED VELVET BROWNIES
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray, and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda, and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and melted butter until smooth.
Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the red gel food coloring.
Add the flour mixture and stir it until until there are no dry patches left. Carefully smooth the brownie mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, you still want a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely. While the brownies are cooling, make the frosting by whipping the cream cheese with the butter in a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully mixed in. Stir in the vanilla. Whip for 3 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Once the brownies are cool, smooth the frosting on top with an offset spatula or butter knife.
Cut and serve.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Red Velvet Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) salted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ounce red food coloring gel
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature (½ a block of cream cheese)
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together 1 cup packed light brown sugar and ¾ cup (1½ sticks) salted butter, melted until smooth.
- Add 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
- Whisk in 1 ounce red food coloring gel.
- Add the flour mixture and stir it until until there are no dry patches left.
- Carefully smooth the brownie mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, you still want a few moist crumbs to keep it a bit fudgy. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting by whipping 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature with 2 Tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature in a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Add 1 cup powdered sugar a little at a time until fully mixed in. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whip for about 3 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Once the brownies are cool, smooth the frosting on top with an offset spatula or butter knife.
- Cut and serve. Keep refrigerated.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
the recipe looks good , got food coloring then I can make it. I will use cook frosting on my and don’t like my brownies in the refrigerate
These Red Velvet Brownies are awesome. Very moist and delicious