Homemade Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Red Velvet Brownies - quick homemade red velvet brownies topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting. These brownies are AMAZING! SO easy to make and even easier to eat! Make a great gift at the holidays too!
I took last Friday off and had a chance to give these a try. OMG! These are unbelievable!! This is my new favorite Christmas treat. I've made it 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! (less cleanup for Chicken Legs)
This is the kind of dessert that calls to me in the middle of the night. I had to get up last weekend and eat one for breakfast. I gave these away to friends and co-workers instead of a pound cake this year. These will be a new holiday tradition in our house.
Yield: 16 brownies
Red Velvet Brownies
prep time: cook time: total time:
ingredients:
Brownies
- 1 (4-oz) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (1-oz) bottle red liquid food coloring
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
instructions:
- 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 1 1/2 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).
- 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.
©Plain Chicken, Inc.


Looks really delicious and moist! I'm bookmarking this, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and family a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Yum! I've never seen these done before. Neat recipe.
ReplyDeleteDoes this actually use the entire bottle of food coloring?
ReplyDeleteWendy - you use the whole bottle of red food coloring.
ReplyDeleteSteph, This sounds delicious! I've already sent the link to several of my cookish co-workers. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThose are cute and they look delish!
ReplyDeleteHow many does this yield? Would I be safe in doubling the recipe?
ReplyDeletePortia - this made 16 large brownies. You can definitely double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan. I should have done that the other day when I made two batches!
ReplyDeleteSteph-I will tell you again...I adore your blog, and I thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes. These look awesome, as does your vanilla extract. I'm definately going to try it for next years gift. Those bottles are great! Since your a fan of the one bowl baking, here's a link to some one bowl cookies: http://liliannagrace.blogspot.com/2010/12/macadamia-nut-snow-covered-shortbread.html
ReplyDeleteHave a great holiday and New Year!
I don't know what my family will do if I make one more holiday treat, but these look too good to resist.
ReplyDeleteThese look so good! They'll be perfect for Christmas treats- thanks! I hope you have a very merry Christmas!
ReplyDeletethese look soooooo fantastic that I'm going to make them tomorrow. TKS for posting this.
ReplyDeleteRed velvet brownies are looking awesome, I can see why they beckon you from bed at night ;)
ReplyDeleteThank 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 .
ReplyDeleteOMHappiness!!! I just love Red Velvet Cake! - now I've discovered your RVBrownies....you have made my night! YUMMY!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteYummy! I posted a link to this on my blog...thru my pinterest board.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Jennifer @ The Craft Barn
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.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS! These look delicious!
AMAHZING!!!! Made these today for V-Day at work :)
ReplyDeleteJust made the Red Velvet Brownies, they turned out wonderful! They will be the hit of the bake sale. Thanks for the post, Jo
ReplyDeleteI 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??
ReplyDeleteThese were very good! I forgot red food coloring at the grocery store (oops) but did without. Ugly color but still very good!
ReplyDeleteI 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...
ReplyDeleteI had this same experience (and see several others did too). Should be in a 9x13 pan. I cut the edges off but they look like little towers...I had all fresh ingredients so not sure what went wrong!
DeleteI'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?!?!
ReplyDeleteJaime - was your baking powder good? You could have overmixed the batter. Were the eggs fresh? I a used Ghiradelli chocolate bar for the chocolate.
ReplyDeleteI've made this recipe so many times that I have it memorized. I've never had any issues with it.
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.
ReplyDeleteWhen giving this as a gift how do you package it it so you don't ruin the frosting?
ReplyDeleteRenee - I put them in a cake box.
ReplyDeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteLooks like 6 added minutes did the trick. Will see in 2 hours what exactly they end up being like.
ReplyDeleteDo you know if these would mail nicely? What about the frosting?
ReplyDeleteJessica - 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks 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!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!
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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteIs there anything else you can use instead of all that red food coloring?
ReplyDeleteI don't think so.
DeleteMountain Gal - not that I know of. You could leave it out, but they won't be red.
ReplyDeleteWas wondering will semi sweet work just as well as the bitter sweet baking bar? thank u, I'm making these for thanksgiving
ReplyDeleteI've always used bittersweet, but I am sure semi-sweet would be fine. Hope you enjoy them!
DeleteDo these taste like chocolate or red velvet?
ReplyDeleteDo these taste like chocolate or red velvet?
ReplyDeleteJust made these! Your recipe is perfect :)
ReplyDeleteJust made these! Your recipe is perfect :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent Brownies! BEST I've ever made! Thank you for this recipe~! Make them! You won't be sorry!
ReplyDeleteSoo moist... LOVE LOVE LOVE!