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Red Velvet Brownies

Red Velvet Brownies

These red velvet brownies prove that a striking, crowd-pleasing dessert needs nothing beyond melted butter, gel food coloring, and a proper cream cheese frosting. This red velvet brownies recipe skips the coordination required for a layered cake and still delivers a fudgy, tangy square worth showing off. Whether frosted on top or swirled into red velvet cheesecake brownies, this batch turns a chaotic Tuesday craving into a genuinely impressive dessert.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup (226g / 8 oz) unsalted butter melted
  • 1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 medium eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons red gel food coloring (I use Wilton Red Red Gel Food Coloring)
  • 4 oz / 113g cream cheese full-fat
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 1/2-3 cups (300g-400g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
 

  1. Prep the oven and pan
    You preheat the oven to 350°F and line the pan with parchment paper, setting it aside until the batter is ready.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients
    You whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl, making sure no cocoa lumps remain.
  3. Mix the butter and sugar
    You beat the sugar and melted butter together in another bowl until combined, even if the texture looks a bit gritty.
  4. Add the wet ingredients
    You add the vanilla, eggs, vinegar, and food coloring, mixing until everything turns a vivid red.
  5. Combine wet and dry
    You add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until the flour streaks disappear, avoiding overmixing along the way.
  6. Fill the pan and bake
    You spread the thick batter into the prepared pan, pushing it into the corners with a spatula, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes depending on pan size, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  7. Make the frosting
    You beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, then gradually add the powdered sugar in three batches, beating until creamy. You add the cream cheese and vanilla last, beating only until combined.
  8. Frost and serve
    You spread the frosting over the fully cooled brownies using a spoon, pastry bag, or a butter knife.

Recipe Notes

Cocoa powder: I use regular, not Dutch-processed, for the classic flavor.
Food coloring: I only use gel, never liquid.
Cream cheese: I use full-fat for a stable, spreadable frosting.
Cooling: I frost only after the brownies cool completely.
Storage: I keep these refrigerated because of the cream cheese frosting.