These red velvet brownies are fudgy, delicious and topped with our favorite cream cheese frosting! They have classic red velvet flavor with a brownie texture and make a perfect dessert for holiday’s or parties.
My Favorite Red Velvet Brownie Recipe
I have seen many red velvet brownies with swirls of cream cheese in the batter, but like on a red velvet cake, we like having the extra yumminess of the frosting slathered on top of them.
I put that frosting on so many of my desserts – our favorite easy carrot cake, to this applesauce cake and 2-ingredient pumpkin cake and now these fudgy brownies.
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Ingredients Needed
The complete list of ingredients with amounts are listed in the full recipe card below.
For the Brownies
- Butter – I like using unsalted butter but salted is fine as well. Soften it to room temperature for about 30 minutes while gathering your other ingredients and prepping.
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs plus an extra egg yolk – Let them come to room temperature as well so they blend in better.
- Vanilla extract
- Red food coloring – I like to use gel food coloring works best because it adds more vibrant red color without thinning the batter as much as liquid food coloring can do. You can of course use less if you’d like. They will taste exactly the same but be a little less red.
- White vinegar – just a little gives it that red velvet tang and helps give it it’s texture.
- All-purpose flour – I have also used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free one-to-one flour. Just be sure to measure it accurately with a food scale of with the spoon and level method. (spoon the flour from the container into the measuring cup and level off with the flat side of a butter knife).
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – I have used many different varieties but dutch-processed cocoa powder is my go-to.
- Salt
For the Frosting
- Cream cheese, softened – Use softened brick-style cream cheese not the whipped kinds.
- Butter – use salted or unsalted in this as well.
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered confectioners sugar
Variations to Try
1. Add in ½ teaspoon of espresso powder to the batter to add more flavor. It really enhances the chocolate flavor.
2. Fold in ½ cup of dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips to the brownie batter.
3. Add seasonal sprinkles on the frosting for Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day or Christmas
How to Make Red Velvet Brownies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Leave a little on the side so it’s easy to remove from the pan.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar and whisk until smooth.
Step 3: Add in the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla extract, food coloring, and vinegar and mix until well blended.
Step 4: Add in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and fold gently using a spatula until just barely combined. Be very careful not to over mix. Doing so will make them less fudge and more dense.
Step 5: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Step 6: Bake for 20-22 minutes. The center should look a little soft but the edges are set.
Step 7: Let the brownies cool completely before spreading the frosting over top.
Step 8: Make the frosting. Add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl and mix together until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and mix in then and the powdered sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.
Step 9: Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top of the brownies after cooling.
Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour to get clean slices. Wipe your knife clean between cuts as well for clean lines.
How to Store Brownies with Frosting
Refrigerate: Store leftover brownies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
Freeze: Freeze the brownies without the frosting in a freezer bag. Then quickly whip up a batch of frosting after thawing them in the refrigerator.
Easy Red Velvet Brownies With Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Baking Pan
- Food scale
Ingredients
For the Brownies
- ¾ cup butter unsalted, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons red gel food coloring
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar and whisk until smooth.¾ cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar
- Add in the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla extract, food coloring, and vinegar and mix until well blended.2 large eggs, 1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoons red gel food coloring, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and fold gently using a spatula until just barely combined. Be very careful not to over mix. Doing so will make them less fudge and more dense.1 cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes. The center should look a little soft but the edges are set.
- Cool completely before adding the frosting.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl and mix together until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and mix in then and the powdered sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.4 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar
- Spread frosting over the cooled brownies.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
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