These red velvet brownies are fudgy and have a signature red velvet flavor with a creamy cream cheese glaze.
The moist and fudgy texture of the brownies pairs perfectly with the smooth and creamy glaze, creating a delectable treat that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
These rich and moist treats are characterized by their vibrant red color, which is achieved through the addition of cocoa powder and a touch of red food coloring.
The velvety texture is complemented by a slightly tangy flavor, thanks to the addition of vinegar.
Whether enjoyed as a standalone dessert or paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, these indulgent treats are bound to be a crowd-pleaser at any gathering or special occasion.
For more brownie recipes, check out our small batch brownies, sprinkle brownies, dairy free brownies, and oreo brownies.
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Why this recipe works
- Flavor- these brownies have a rich and indulgent flavor, combining the velvety texture of the brownies with the tangy sweetness of the cream cheese glaze.
- Texture- the texture of these brownies is moist and fudgy, with a rich and creamy topping that melts in your mouth in every bite.
- Valentine’s Day themed dessert- this brownie recipe is not only extremely delicious, but its perfect for valentines day and special occasions!
- Ease- these delicious brownies are super easy to make and come together in one bowl and use super simple ingredients!
- One bowl brownies- these brownies come together in just one bowl as well as the cream cheese glaze! So there are minimal dishes to wash.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious brownies.
Dutch cocoa powder– we like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our brownies because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
If you want a very red brownie, use natural cocoa powder since its less pigmented.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, the most common sugar in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Eggs– Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs. I added an extra egg yolk for extra fudginess.
Vinegar- is added to reach the classic red velvet flavor, but is optional.
Red food coloring- I suggest using gel red food coloring, it's more vibrant and mixes great with the batter.
Vanilla extract- vanilla extract adds extra flavor. For extra vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean extract or an actual vanilla bean!
Salt– We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the brownies a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
Cake flour– we used cake flour for this to make these brownies soft and chewy on the inside.
For the cream cheese glaze
Cream cheese- make sure that you are using whole-fat cream cheese that is at room temperature. We highly recommend using the famous Philadelphia cream cheese.
Powder sugar- you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a parchment paper-lined 8 by 8 brownie pan.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the melted and cooled butter, and add the granulated sugar, vanilla extract, vinegar, and kosher salt. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix with a whisk for 4-5 minutes until some of the sugar is melted. This will create the crackly top of the brownies.
Sift the cocoa powder and mix until well combined and smooth.
Add the gel red food coloring to the batter and mix until well combined.
Add the flour and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour showing. Do not overmix to keep the brownies fudgy on the inside.
Pour the brownie batter onto a parchment paper lined 8 by 8 brownie pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Do not overbake them to keep it fudgy!
Allow the brownies to cool for about 1 hour before slicing, so they won't crumble and fall apart.
Make the cream cheese glaze
In a small mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt, and drizzle the brownies with as much glaze as you like. Top with Valentine’s Day sprinkles if desired and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Use gel red food coloring for these brownies. You will only need a few drops instead of using the whole bottle to reach the vibrant color.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these brownies as they are pulled out of the oven, but allow these brownies cool for at least 20 minutes so they will be more firm and won’t crumble up.
- Don’t overbake your brownies! to have super moist brownies, we like to underbake the brownies a little bit. The brownies continue to bake a little bit more in the cooling process.
- Ensure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.
Faq's
It can be pretty hard to know when your brownies are done baking, but we have a few tricks to figure that out.
If the brownies have a shiny and crinkly top, they should be ready. When you insert a toothpick into the brownies and the toothpick is covered with wet batter, let it bake for a few more minutes and check again to get the perfect brownie.
Red velvet brownies are a delicious twist on the classic chocolate brownie. They are made with a rich, moist red velvet cake batter, flavored with cocoa powder and vinegar.
They are topped with a creamy cream cheese frosting or glaze!
This may mean that you overbaked your brownies. I always underbake the brownies by a little bit, because the brownies keep cooking in the cooling process and I love a chewy center.
The red velvet flavor has a subtle hint of cocoa combined with a slightly tangy and creamy flavor. The vibrant red color of red velvet desserts adds to their visual appeal.
Storing
Store these brownies at room temperature sealed in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing
To freeze brownies, you will need to wrap the brownies in plastic wrap or foil and seal them in an airtight container or an airtight resealable bag. You can freeze brownies for up to 2 months.
Thaw them at room temperature overnight to allow them to soften up and turn fudgy again.
Substitutions
Dairy-free- to make this dairy-free, replace the butter with vegan butter.
Gluten-free- make these brownies gluten-free by swapping the flour with gluten-free flour.
Red velvet brownie mix- instead of making these brownies from scratch, you can make these from red velvet cake mix.
Use your favorite brand of boxed brownies and mix the 15.25 oz with 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, and ½ cup of butter. Make the cream cheese glaze as written in the recipe.
Variations
Cream cheese frosting- instead of just drizzling the brownies with a cream cheese glaze, top these with a thick and luscious cream cheese frosting. Use the recipe from my carrot cake loaf recipe.
Cream cheese center- make the brownie batter as written. Make an easy 3-ingredient cream cheese filling: mix 8 oz of cream cheese with ¼ cup of sugar with 1 egg in a small mixing bowl until well combined.
Pour ⅔ of the brownie batter into the baking pan and top it with the cream cheese mixture. Top the cream cheese filling with the rest of the brownie batter, swirl it slightly with a butter knife or a toothpick, and bake.
White chocolate drizzle- melt white chocolate and drizzle it on top of the brownies instead of the cream cheese glaze.
White chocolate chips- red velvet goes perfectly with white chocolate, add 1 cup of white chocolate chips to the batter at the same time you add the cocoa powder.
Serving Tips
Whipped cream- top each slice of cake with a dollop of whipped cream.
Vanilla ice cream- add a large scoop of ice cream next to a slice of this cake.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together.
- Brownie pan
- Rubber spatula
- Gel red food coloring
More brownie recipes
Turtle brownies- These fudgy turtle brownies are filled with chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, caramel sauce, and plenty of chocolate flavor.
Brownie bites- These brownie bites are moist, fudgy, and full of chocolate flavor! They are gooey in the center and have a crackly brownie-like top!
White chocolate brownies- These white chocolate brownies are made with white chocolate and are fudgy, and filled with white chocolate flavor.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Red Velvet Brownies w/ Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
For the brownie batter
- ¾ cup Butter unsalted, melted
- 1 ¼ cups Granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon Vinegar
- 4 tablespoon Cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Gel red food coloring
- 1 cup Flour
For the cream cheese glaze
- 2.1 oz Cream cheese room temp
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon Milk unflavored
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a parchment paper-lined 8 by 8 brownie pan.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the melted and cooled butter, and add the granulated sugar, vanilla extract, vinegar, and kosher salt. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix with a whisk for 4-5 minutes until some of the sugar is melted. This will create the crackly top of the brownies.
- Sift the cocoa powder and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add the gel red food coloring to the batter and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour showing. Do not overmix to keep the brownies fudgy on the inside.
- Pour the brownie batter onto a parchment paper lined 8 by 8 brownie pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Do not overbake them to keep it fudgy!
- Allow the brownies to cool for about 1 hour before slicing, so they won't crumble and fall apart.
Make the cream cheese glaze
- In a small mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt, and drizzle the brownies with as much glaze as you like. Top with Valentine’s Day sprinkles if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Use gel red food coloring for these brownies. You will only need a few drops instead of using the whole bottle to reach the vibrant color.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these brownies as they are pulled out of the oven, but allow these brownies cool for at least 20 minutes so they will be more firm and won’t crumble up.
- Don’t overbake your brownies! to have super moist brownies, we like to underbake the brownies a little bit. The brownies continue to bake a little bit more in the cooling process.
- Ensure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.
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