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.
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin This RecipeHomemade 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.
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.
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 Italian Love Cake
Red Velvet Italian Love Cake – You are going to LOVE this cake! Layers of red velvet cake, cheesecake, and…
Red Velvet Banana Bread
Red Velvet Banana Bread – only 5 ingredients! SO easy and SO delicious! Red velvet cake mix, bananas, eggs, oil…
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies Recipe Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies – homemade red velvet brownies with cheesecake swirled in the batter.…
Red Velvet Cake from Scratch
Red Velvet Cake from scratch with Cream Cheese Frosting – the BEST Red Velvet Cake I’ve ever eaten. I got…
Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment:
Ingredients:
Red Velvet Brownies
- 1 (4-oz) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
- ¾ cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (1-oz) bottle red liquid food coloring
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin This Recipe
Excellent Brownies! BEST I've ever made! Thank you for this recipe~! Make them! You won't be sorry!
Soo moist… LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Just made these! Your recipe is perfect 🙂
Just made these! Your recipe is perfect 🙂
Do these taste like chocolate or red velvet?
Do these taste like chocolate or red velvet?
Was wondering will semi sweet work just as well as the bitter sweet baking bar? thank u, I'm making these for thanksgiving
I've always used bittersweet, but I am sure semi-sweet would be fine. Hope you enjoy them!
Mountain Gal – not that I know of. You could leave it out, but they won't be red.
Is there anything else you can use instead of all that red food coloring?
I don't think so.
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
Do you know if these would mail nicely? What about the frosting?
Looks like 6 added minutes did the trick. Will see in 2 hours what exactly they end up being like.
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.
Renee – I put them in a cake box.
When giving this as a gift how do you package it it so you don't ruin the frosting?
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.
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.
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?!?!
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…
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!
These were very good! I forgot red food coloring at the grocery store (oops) but did without. Ugly color but still very good!
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??
Just made the Red Velvet Brownies, they turned out wonderful! They will be the hit of the bake sale. Thanks for the post, Jo
AMAHZING!!!! Made these today for V-Day at work 🙂
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!
OMHappiness!!! I just love Red Velvet Cake! – now I've discovered your RVBrownies….you have made my night! YUMMY!!! 🙂
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 .
Red velvet brownies are looking awesome, I can see why they beckon you from bed at night 😉
these look soooooo fantastic that I'm going to make them tomorrow. TKS for posting this.
These look so good! They'll be perfect for Christmas treats- thanks! I hope you have a very merry Christmas!
I don't know what my family will do if I make one more holiday treat, but these look too good to resist.
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!
How many does this yield? Would I be safe in doubling the recipe?
Those are cute and they look delish!
Steph, This sounds delicious! I've already sent the link to several of my cookish co-workers. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Wendy – you use the whole bottle of red food coloring.
Does this actually use the entire bottle of food coloring?
Yum! I've never seen these done before. Neat recipe.
Looks really delicious and moist! I'm bookmarking this, thanks for sharing.
Wishing you and family a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.