Red Velvet Brownies

Red Velvet Brownie recipe – These decadent brownies are an indulgent twist on the classic red velvet cake. The rich, cocoa-infused brownie base, crowned with a creamy cream cheese frosting, is a match made in dessert heaven. Bittersweet chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, red food coloring, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Makes a great homemade treat for Valentine’s Day and Christmas parties.

red velvet brownie with cream cheese frosting on a plate

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Homemade Red Velvet Brownies

If you are a fan of red velvet cake, you are going to LOVE these Red Velvet Brownies. The brownies are delicious and the fluffy cream cheese frosting really puts them over the top. OMG! Incredible! This is my new favorite Christmas treat. I’ve made these fudgy brownies so many times this holiday season that I have the recipe memorized! These are super easy to make (maybe too easy), and I love that it only uses one bowl! These brownies are perfect for Valentine’s Day, a Christmas party, and today! Whip up a batch ASAP! You won’t be disappointed.

red velvet brownie with cream cheese frosting on a plate

How to Make Red Velvet Brownies from Scratch

As I said, these brownies are super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Spray a 9-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside. Melt chocolate and unsalted butter in a large mixing bowl in the microwave. Cool slightly. Add in sugar and eggs to the melted chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Add flour, baking powder, vanilla, and red food coloring and stir well. Pour the red velvet brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on a cooling rack to room temperature.

While the brownies are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric hand mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Spread on top of cooled brownies with a rubber spatula. Add some festive sprinkles if desired. Slice into squares and enjoy!

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • The brownies get their bright red color from a whole bottle of red food coloring. That is correct. Feel free to use as much as you wish.
  • Can substitute 2/3 cup of chocolate chips for the 4-oz chocolate bar.
  • Variations/Additions:
    • chocolate chips
    • white chocolate chips
    • crushed Oreos
    • chopped pecans or walnuts
  • Store the brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days.
  • Can Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting be frozen? Yes! Slice the brownies and pop in the freezer. Once the brownies are frozen, wrap the individual brownies in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
  • You can freeze the unfrosted brownies and frost them after freezing.
red velvet brownie with cream cheese frosting on a plate

Easy Homemade Holiday Dessert

These delicious brownies have quickly become of our all-time favorite desserts. I can’t keep them in the house because I have zero self-control around them. They taste SO good! Each bite is a blissful journey – the chewy, fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the brownie contrasts beautifully with the creamy, dreamy frosting. It’s a combination that’s nothing short of extraordinary, all the flavors of red velvet cake in a convenient, bite-sized form. 

They are delicious straight from the pan or slightly warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I gave these away to all of my family and friends for Christmas this year. Everybody loved them! Give these a try ASAP!

Looking for more red velvet desserts? Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog:

red velvet brownie with cream cheese frosting on a plate

Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 16 brownies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Red Velvet Brownies – these are the best brownies EVER! Quick homemade red velvet brownies topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting. Bittersweet chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, red food coloring, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. These brownies are so dang good! They are super easy to make and even easier to eat! Make a great gift at the holidays too!

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Brownies

Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions:

Red Velvet Brownies

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.
  • Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1½ to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Gently stir in flour and next 4 ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 44 to 48 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 2 hours).

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • For frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt, beating until blended. Stir in vanilla.
  • Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles; gently remove foil. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top of brownies, and cut into 16 squares. Garnish, if desired.

Notes:

  • This recipe uses a whole bottle of red food coloring. That is correct. Feel free to use as much as you wish.
  • Can substitute 2/3 cup of chocolate chips for the 4-oz chocolate bar.
  • Feel free to mix in some chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or crushed oreos into the brownie batter.
  • Store the brownies in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days.
  • Can Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting be frozen? Yes! Slice the brownies and pop in the freezer. Once the brownies are frozen, wrap the individual brownies in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
  • You can freeze the unfrosted brownies and frost them after freezing.

Steph

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Comments

  1. Excellent Brownies! BEST I've ever made! Thank you for this recipe~! Make them! You won't be sorry!
    Soo moist… LOVE LOVE LOVE!

  2. Was wondering will semi sweet work just as well as the bitter sweet baking bar? thank u, I'm making these for thanksgiving

  3. I tried this as well. In my new oven I put them in for 40 minutes. Everything was cooked but it has a texture if a cake. All the ingredients were fresh and new.

  4. I tried this as well. In my new oven I put them in for 40 minutes. Everything was cooked but it has a texture if a cake. All the ingredients were fresh and new.

  5. Thanks for the recipe! I'm in the process of making them now. My family is coming up for my college Graduation and I thought it would be a fun desert to make for everyone!
    Thanks!!!

  6. Jessica – you could mail the brownies and put the icing in a separate container and let the recipient frost them. I'm not sure the brownies with the frosting on top would ship good. I think the frosting would get smooshed and come off.

  7. I'm having the same problem. Making them right now. At 48 minutes the center is still wet. Added another 6 minutes. How long will this take? How will it turn out? Only time will tell.

  8. I am also having the same issue. The center will not bake. Maybe I shouldn't have let m niece do the mixing. I am very disappointed.

  9. Jaime – was your baking powder good? You could have overmixed the batter. Were the eggs fresh? I a used Ghiradelli chocolate bar for the chocolate.

    I've made this recipe so many times that I have it memorized. I've never had any issues with it.

  10. I'm pretty upset with these myself. followed recipe to a T and now that the middle is FINALLY done, after much baking for much longer, it is so hard I can't even bite it?? HELP?!?!

  11. I did not have any luck with these at all! I was so disappointed! The top got too hard so the middle wouldn't cook and it came out looking like a cake more than brownies! I am going to try to make these again, bc my 1st attempt was an utter failure! lol…

    1. I had this same experience (and see several others did too). Should be in a 9×13 pan. I cut the edges off but they look like little towers…I had all fresh ingredients so not sure what went wrong!

  12. These were very good! I forgot red food coloring at the grocery store (oops) but did without. Ugly color but still very good!

  13. I tried these today and the turned out really cakey and dry. And rose really high. Probably 3.5 inches. Do you have any idea what I did wrong??

  14. Just made the Red Velvet Brownies, they turned out wonderful! They will be the hit of the bake sale. Thanks for the post, Jo

  15. I'm thinking about making a bite sized version in a mini muffin pan. I'm wondering how much they will rise so I know how full to fill each one.
    THANKS! These look delicious!

  16. OMHappiness!!! I just love Red Velvet Cake! – now I've discovered your RVBrownies….you have made my night! YUMMY!!! 🙂

  17. Thank you! I made these brownies for a holiday party and they were gone before I knew it! Everybody loved them…they were so moist and easy to make! These will stay on my short-list of recipes to go to .

  18. Red velvet brownies are looking awesome, I can see why they beckon you from bed at night 😉

  19. These look so good! They'll be perfect for Christmas treats- thanks! I hope you have a very merry Christmas!

  20. Portia – this made 16 large brownies. You can definitely double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan. I should have done that the other day when I made two batches!

  21. Steph, This sounds delicious! I've already sent the link to several of my cookish co-workers. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

  22. Looks really delicious and moist! I'm bookmarking this, thanks for sharing.
    Wishing you and family a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

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