Red Velvet Brownies bring together the best of fudgy brownies and red velvet cake. Sporting a vibrant red color and topped with a rich creamy cheese frosting, they’re a scrumptious treat you can enjoy anytime.
No more choosing between red velvet cake and gooey brownies ! These fudgy red velvet brownies are sure to satisfy both cravings in one delightful. When it comes to cake flavors, red velvet rarely disappoints , it’s absolutely one of my favorites, just like those scrumptious Red Velvet Cookies. But deep down, I have a soft spot for an irresistibly gooey brownie, much like my beloved S’mores Brownies.
If you’re in the mood for a festive treat, a sweet surprise for Valentine’s Day, or simply craving that tangy red velvet goodness, this red velvet brownie recipe is just what you need. I experimented with this recipe many times to find the perfect gooey and cakey, delivering a delightful texture every time.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Will Win Your Heart
- Enjoy the best of both worlds: the delightful pairing of Red Velvet Cake and gooey brownies.
- These beauties are the ideal dessert for parties, events, or simply as a delightful treat.
- Do I even need to mention the cream cheese frosting? It’s just irresistible!
Ingredients
This red velvet brownies recipe uses easy-to-find ingredients, just like traditional red velvet cake, with tweaks to create the perfect brownie texture at home.
Butter We use a mix of butter and oil in this recipe to strike the perfect balance between rich flavor and that irresistible gooey texture. Go for unsalted butter so you can manage the saltiness just the way you like.
Sugar Most of the sweetness in this recipe comes from regular white sugar. For best results, try using extra fine sugar (known as caster sugar in the UK) to get that perfect texture.
Light Brown Sugar By mixing in light brown sugar along with regular sugar, we not only boost the flavor with a touch of depth, but we also add that extra bit of moisture needed to achieve the fudgy texture we all love in a brownie.
Eggs: be using whole eggs with an extra yolk for that added richness. Go for large eggs and choose free-range if possible for the best results.
Vanilla Whether you use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, it adds a lovely touch by bringing all the other flavors together beautifully.
Oil I love using vegetable oil, but feel free to pick any flavorless oil you prefer, like canola or sunflower oil. It’s the secret to keeping these brownies delightfully gooey and moist!
Cocoa Powder For these red velvet brownies, Dutch-processed cocoa powder is your best bet. It’s a key ingredient in both red velvet cake and brownies, so try to get your hands on a high-quality cocoa powder if possible for that perfect hint of chocolate.
Flour For this recipe, regular all-purpose flour works like a charm. You’ll want to be precise with your measurements because I’ve discovered that even a smidge too much can turn these brownies cakey and take away that perfect brownie texture. While measuring by cups is fine, using a scale really helps in getting the results, so I definitely suggest doing that here!
Vinegar Adding vinegar to brownies might sound odd, it’s essential for achieving that classic ‘Red Velvet tang.’ I opted for white wine vinegar, but regular white vinegar works just as well!
Cornstarch : This little addition helps make your brownies a bit chewy.
Food Coloring It’s best to go with gel food coloring for these brownies, and for any red velvet cake as well. The liquid kinds you usually find at the store often aren’t strong enough, so you won’t achieve that lovely, bright red hue.
Chocolate Chips (optional) I tried out this recipe with and without white chocolate chips, and honestly, both turned out delicious! Personally, I leaned slightly towards the ones without them. But hey, it’s totally your call if you’d like to mix them in or not!
Cream Cheese To whip up tasty cream cheese frosting for our brownies, we’ll want some good-quality cream cheese. It’s best to pick a brand that’s not too runny—Philadelphia is a trusted choice!
Powdered Sugar We’ll also need powdered sugar for the frosting. It’s often called confectioners sugar or icing sugar, just so you know!
TIME TO MAKE THE RED VELVET BROWNIES!
- up your oven to 350°F / 180°C and get your 8-inch square cake pan ready by lining it with some parchment paper.
- Pop the butter in the microwave and heat it in 30-second bursts until it’s fully melted.
- Start by pouring the melted butter into a large bowl and add both the sugar and light brown sugar. Give it all a good whisk. While you could use an electric mixer for this, it’s such a simple recipe that doing it by hand works perfectly—and it might even be better since an electric mixer can sometimes add too much air.
- Gently whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, mixing until they’re just combined. Be careful not to whisk in too much air!
- Mix the vegetable oil and cocoa powder into the wet ingredients until everything is nicely combined.
- Grab a couple of tablespoons of the batter and pop them into a small bowl. Add your red gel food coloring to this bowl and stir until the gel is fully blended and smooth. Pour this colorful mix back into the main bowl of batter and mix until it’s all combined. Make sure you use red gel food coloring; liquid version just doesn’t pack the same punch for that gorgeous red velvet hue. Right now, the batter should look like a deep, dark red, but don’t worry—once it bakes, it will transform into that lovely, classic red color we all adore!
- Grab a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and mix in the dry ingredients like flour, cornstarch, and salt. Gently fold everything together until the batter is nice and smooth without any lumps!
- Stir in the vinegar until it’s fully combined—this little step is key to capturing that classic red velvet flavor!
- Feel free to toss in some white chocolate chips at this stage if you’re keen on a little extra sweetness!
- Gently pour your red velvet brownie batter into the prepared pan, and pop it into your preheated oven for around 20-25 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the top looks nicely set and isn’t shiny anymore. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Be careful not to overbake them, as you’ll to keep all that wonderful fudgy goodness!
- Take the red velvet brownies out of the oven and let them chill out for about an hour right in the pan. Afterward, transfer them to a cooling rack and give them some extra time to cool down completely before you get creative with frosting and slicing.
Whip Up the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mix room-temperature butter and cream cheese until smooth, using a stand or electric mixer for best results.
- Mix powdered sugar with softened cream cheese and butter on low to avoid dust. Once settled, increase to high speed and beat until creamy and fluffy.
- Take a peek at your frosting’s consistency if you’re aiming for a thicker texture, just sprinkle in a bit more powdered sugar and mix until it’s just how you like it!
- Mix in the vanilla and give it another quick beat for just a few seconds.
- Slather a generous layer of cream cheese frosting across the top of your cooled red velvet brownies.
- Cut the brownies into 16 delightful squares and enjoy serving them up!
Tip: To mimic classic red velvet, crumble a small brownie piece and sprinkle over cream cheese frosting for a delightful red pop. Enjoy!
Achieving the Ideal Brownie Texture
Use a scale for precise measurements instead of cups to avoid common errors like adding too much flour, which can ruin your recipe. This is especially crucial for this recipe.
I repeatedly tested the recipe, making small changes that significantly impacted the brownies’ texture. Despite using the same, varying quantities resulted in notably different textures.
Explore the science of recipe development in the image below, showcasing multiple iterations, with the final one as the end result.
The initial brownie tasted amazing but was a tad too gooey for my preferences. I desired a balance of fudgy and slightly chewy textures while highlighting the stunning red velvet hue.
For the second batch, I added more flour and whipped in extra air, which turned them much too cakey not quite the brownie texture I was aiming for!
The penultimate and the final versions of the brownie recipe were nearly the same, but the last one used 30g less flour (roughly a quarter cup). You’ll notice in the image just how much impact this small adjustment had!
Hey there! If you’ve been using cups to measure your ingredients, it’s super easy to accidentally scoop in extra flour, which can totally change the texture of your homemade. To nail that fudgy and decadent red velvet goodness, try using a scale for the best results!
Fun Twists
- Swap cream cheese frosting for a cheesecake swirl in red velvet brownies: blend 8oz cream cheese, 1 egg, and ⅓ cup sugar. Swirl into brownie before baking for a beautiful and tasty pattern.
- I tried these brownies with and without white chocolate chips. Both were tasty, but I preferred them without. Add white, milk, or dark chocolate chips for extra texture and flavor, though darker chips might dominate the brownies’ taste.
Gear Up
- an 8-inch square pan
- Scale while not a must-have, it’s recommended for nailing those ingredient measurements perfectly!
- Big Bowl
- Whisk away!
- Handy Rubber Spatula
❤️ Red Velvet Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- Butter: Use unsalted for better control over salt; adds rich flavor.
- Sugar: White sugar gives sweetness; extra fine caster works best.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and a deeper fudgy flavor.
- Eggs: Use large whole eggs + 1 extra yolk for richness.
- Vanilla: Use extract or paste to enhance flavor.
- Oil: Vegetable oil keeps brownies moist and gooey.
- Cocoa Powder: Dutch-processed gives a smooth chocolate taste.
- Flour: All-purpose works well—measure accurately to avoid cakey texture.
- Vinegar: White or wine vinegar adds red velvet’s classic tang.
- Cornstarch: Makes the texture extra chewy.
- Food Coloring: Gel coloring gives a bold red hue—avoid liquid types.
- Chocolate Chips Optional: White chips add extra sweetness—your choice!
- Cream Cheese: Use thick quality cream cheese for the frosting.
- Powdered Sugar: Needed for frosting—also called icing sugar.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- Melt butter in the microwave in 30-second bursts.
- Mix melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl. Whisk by hand.
- Add eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Whisk gently until just combined.
- Stir in oil and cocoa powder until smooth.
- Coloring: Mix a few tablespoons of batter with red gel food coloring, then stir it back into the batter.
- Fold in dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, salt) with a spatula until smooth.
- Add vinegar and stir to combine.
- Optional: Fold in white chocolate chips.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until the top is set and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 1 hour, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting and slicing.
Notes
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 310 kcal |
| Total Fat | 16g |
| Saturated Fat | 9g |
| Cholesterol | 65mg |
| Sodium | 160mg |
| Carbohydrates | 38g |
| Sugar | 26g |
| Protein | 4g |
| Fiber | 1g |
FAQ
Can I make red velvet brownies gluten-free?
Absolutely! You can substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Make sure the gluten-free flour blend you choose contains xanthan gum or another binding agent to ensure the best texture in your brownies.
How do I get that vibrant red color in my red velvet brownies?
To achieve the vibrant red hue characteristic of red velvet, use a high-quality red food coloring. Gel food coloring tends to yield the most vivid results without needing to use as much as liquid food dyes.