Red Velvet Brownies

I absolutely adore a deliciously decadent brownie. My current favorite brownies are my  Red Wine Brownies, Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Espresso Brownies.  After making these vibrant red velvet brownies, I think I may just have a new favorite! I know you’ll love this recipe too because:

• Simple pantry ingredients: You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make a batch of quick, simple and simply decadent  red velvet cream cheese brownies. 
• One bowl brownies: These red velvet fudgy brownies are so quick and easy to make, they come together in one bowl. The cream cheese frosting for brownies also comes together quickly and easily in one bowl. 
• You love fudgy and chewy red brownies: If being super quick and easy to make wasn’t reason enough, these easy red velvet brownies are the perfect balance of textures and flavors. Plus, they are absolutely stunning to look at!

Before I show you how to make red velvet brownies, make sure you have these simple ingredients ready to go!

Red Velvet Brownies

Dry Ingredients: Gather your cocoa powder, flour and salt. 

Wet ingredients: Gather your melted butter, granulated sugar, red gel food coloring, eggs, vanilla extract and vinegar.

Frosting for Brownies

Gather cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and milk.

Making these red velvet brownies with frosting is super simple and you probably already have everything you need. Here are my recommended substitutions to make this brownie recipe if you need them.

• Butter: I like to use unsalted “sweet cream” butter in almost all my baking recipes. This is the most common and widely available butter in the US. If needed, use salted butter (omit the added salt) or a diary free butter you like. 
• Sugar: This recipe hasn’t been tested with alternative sugars. Maple Sugar  would be a good refined sugar free substitute.
• Red Gel Food Coloring: For this red velvet bundt cake, I used a red gel food coloring from Americolor. This recipe really works best with gel food coloring. However, if you don’t mind the cake having a more muted reddish color, use a plant based food coloring. 
• Vinegar: This is optional, but recommended to get the full red velvet flavor.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: It’s best to use unsweetened cocoa powder for red velvet brownies. 
• Eggs: This is an essential ingredient for these rich red brownies. This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs. 
• Flour: This hasn’t been tested using alternative flours. If this cake needs to be gluten free, use a good 1-1 cup all purpose flour substitute. Measure by weight rather than cups as gluten free flour tends to weigh a bit more than all purpose flour. 
• Cream Cheese: Use mascarpone cheese as a substitute, a plant based cream cheese for a diary free option or simply dust the finished brownies with powdered sugar.
• Powdered Sugar: I recommend Swerve or Lakanto if you need a lower sugar powdered sugar alternative.

• Red Velvet Cake Mix Brownies: Use a 15.25 oz. box of red velvet cake mix in place of the dry ingredients. Mix this with 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk and ½ cup (118 ml) melted butter or oil. Check out my Strawberry Brownies or Brownies from Cake Mix for all my tips and tricks!
• White Chocolate Chip: Follow the red velvet brownies recipe as written. Add in 1 cup of white chocolate chips right after the flour and bake as directed.  
• Cream Cheese Swirl: Prepare the brownie recipe as written. To make the cheesecake swirl layer, mix 8 oz. room temperature cream cheese with ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 1 egg and a splash of vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Pour ¾ of the red velvet brownie batter into the prepared pan. Top with spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture. Fill in the gaps in the cream cheese layer with the remaining brownie batter. Swirl together and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Learn how to make red velvet brownies with cream cheese frosting in a few easy steps: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides. Add the unsalted butter to a heat safe bowl. Heat the butter until fully melted. This can be done as a “bain marie” or in the microwave. If using the microwave, heat the mixture 30 seconds at a time, stirring between heating intervals until fully melted and combined. Mix in the granulated sugar until well combined. 
2. Whisk the red gel food coloring, vanilla extract and vinegar until fully combined. Whisk in the eggs and cocoa powder until well combined. Whisk in the flour until just combined.

3. Evenly pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. 
4. Bake for about 25 -30 minutes. Cool the brownies in the pan for 30 minutes. Remove the brownies from the pan to cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese icing. 
5. Make the cream cheese frosting for brownies by beating the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy and well combined. Pour in the vanilla extract, powdered sugar and 1 tsp milk. Beat the cream cheese frosting until smooth and well combined. 
6. Spread the cream cheese icing on top of the fully cooled red brownies. If the frosting is too warm or soft, place the frosted brownies in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

• Serve these red velvet brownies straight from the fridge or let them sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. 
• Store the red brownies without cream cheese frosting: Once the brownies have cooled completely to room temperature, place them in an airtight container for up to 3 - 4 days. 
• Store the red velvet brownies with cream cheese frosting: Once the brownies have cream cheese frosting, they need to be stored in the fridge. Slice the brownies to your desired number of pieces. Place them in a single layer to chill in the fridge until the frosting is set. Then transfer them to an airtight storage container for longer storage. Separate the layers with wax or parchment paper. 
• Freeze the brownies: Make sure the red velvet brownies are completely cooled to room temperature. Cut the brownie into your preferred amount of pieces. Individually wrap each brownie in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. 
• Thaw the brownies: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the red brownies is to let them sit overnight in the fridge. Enjoy at room temperature or straight from the fridge (my favorite way)!