Red Velvet Brownies
These are the best Red Velvet Brownies you’ll ever make with a light yet fudgy texture that’s rich in cocoa and scattered with chocolate chips. They’re really easy to make, use simple ingredients and only take 16 minutes to bake!
I’m super excited to share this recipe because it’s perfect for baking anytime and sharing with people who are special to you. It tastes so good! While traditional red velvet desserts are light on cocoa flavor and topped with cream cheese frosting, this recipe is all about the chocolate!
If you’ve taken a look around the blog you’ll see just how much I love a good brownie in any shape and form. My faves include these Brownie Cookies, this Fudgy Brownie Pie and these Caramel Crunch Brownie Bars. They’re all so different, but amazing. If you want to keep things simple I also have a base Fudgy Brownie Recipe.
Why You’ll Love These Brownies!
I love the simplicity of a good brownie recipe. This one is all the things you love about brownies with a lovely shade of red.
- They’re super chocolatey because of the cocoa and chocolate, and it even has chocolate chips!
- The brownies are fudgy yet light because of the carefully curated ingredients for a light and fudgy brownie.
- They’re easy and simple to make!
- These brownies are perfect for giving as gifts too! Especially for valentine’s day.
The Secret To Fudgy Brownies!
The big secret to gooey brownies? Don’t bake them for too long. These only need 16 minutes in the oven. After that, the heat left in the pan finishes baking them as they cool, keeping them gooey, light and fluffy. We’re not looking for heavy brownies here.
And you know what’s cool? The ingredients play a big part in making them gooey too! Let’s dive into that next!
Ingredients You Need To Make Red Velvet Brownies
This recipe uses simple pantry ingredients, most of which you’ll already have. I just want to make a few notes about some of the ingredients and why they’re important to these brownies.
- Cocoa powder – I used Dutch processed cocoa powder for it’s deeply rich flavor. 1 tbsp is all you will need for this recipe to come out a nice deep shade of red.
- Baking powder – I experimented with the amount and found only a very small amount is needed to make these brownies light, but also fudgy and not cake like. Make sure your baking powder is active by adding 1 tsp to a small mixing bowl. Pour in some boiling water. If it fizzes, it’s active!
- Dark cooking chocolate – this is really important to the recipe because, together with the cocoa powder it helps give these brownies enough of a chocolate flavor (iconic to red velvet desserts) without being overpowering. It also helps make these super fudgy! I use nestle melting buttons, but you can use any type of good quality cooking chocolate found in the baking isle of your supermarket.
- Eggs – the addition of two egg yolks helps give these a rich flavor and fudgy texture. I do this in my cookie recipes too and it works like magic!
How to make Red Velvet Brownies!
- Gently melt the chocolate and butter together. You can do this in a double boiler or microwave. Once melted, allow to cool down.
- Whip the sugar, vanilla extract and eggs together until frothy and tripled in size.
- Add the melted chocolate butter mixture and mix through.
- Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and mix through only until no dry ingredients are showing.
- Line a 8-inch square baking tin with baking paper. Add batter and spread evenly. Bake for 16 minutes. Add chocolate chips on top as soon as it comes out of the oven and push them in slightly. Allow to cool in the tin completely before chilling in the fridge for an hour. Use a sharp knife to slice up.
How To Get Super Sharp Edges On Your Brownie Bars
TIP: Getting super sharp edges on your brownies is really easy!
Put them in the fridge – make sure they’re super chilled in the fridge, about 1 hour before slicing up. Use a large, sharp knife to slice up. Carefully wipe the knife each time you slice.
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
- Measure out using kitchen scales – measuring ingredients out by weight and not cups is the best way to get consistent results every time! I wrote more about it here!
- Use liquid red food dye for best results. You can use red food gel, but I haven’t tested it with food gel.
- Add the chocolate chips on top after the brownies are baked to avoid them burning in the oven.
- Sea salt flakes help make these brownies ever tastier!
- Melt the chocolate and butter together gently. Microwave: 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time until melted. Double boiler: until completely melted.
- Use room temperature eggs, not straight out of the fridge!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix only until no dry ingredients are showing to avoid a tough brownie.
- Use high quality cocoa powder for rich chocolate results!
- Allow brownies to cool completely before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions about RECIPE
How do I store these brownies?
Store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Can I use red food gel instead of red food dye?
I haven’t tested this recipe with red food dye, although I’ve seen people suggest that you can do it using about 2 tsp of red food gel. I would recommend just using red food dye so that you get the same result as I did.
Can I make this with an electric hand mixer?
Yes! I used my stand mixer out of laziness, but you can make this with an electric hand mixer and get excellent results when whipping the eggs and sugar together.
Can I make these brownies without eggs?
Eggs are important to texture and structure of these brownies and so you can’t leave them out for this recipe.
Can I top these brownies with cream cheese frosting?
Yes! I decided to leave it off because I think these are rich enough but if you want an added dose of creaminess, make half a batch of my Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe!
Why is this recipe is in grams and not cups?
The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistent results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! To learn more about using digital kitchen scales, check out this post!
Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!
Some of the things I learned
The biggest thing I wanted to get right about this recipe was the color. Personally, I don’t like desserts that look too brightly colored (anymore haha) So I like the muted tone of these brownies. When I began experimenting with the recipe I decided to use my blondies recipe as a starting point, thinking I would be able to just make that recipe red with the use of food dye.
Nope, I was wrong. That was a disaster. The texture was off, it was cakey for some reason (I guess it could have been the extra liquid from the food dye. So I decided to experiment with my brownie recipe. Replacing the brown sugar with white so the red would pop and that set me on the right track.
Next, I worked on was the texture. Because they were still too cakey. I ended up reducing the baking powder, whipping the eggs and sugar together and melting the chocolate and butter. Very similar to my chocolate brownies in technique and a similar result. Which in the end was a delightfully moist, fudgy and light brownie!
If you loved this recipe, check these out!
Brownie Cookies
Fudgy Homemade Chocolate Brownies
Easy Chewy Chocolate Brownies
Caramel Crunch Brownies
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!
Red Velvet Brownies
Serves 9
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownies
- 125 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 90 g dark cooking chocolate
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 200 g dark chocolate chips
- 1 / 53 g egg, room temperature
- 2 / 24 g egg yolks, room temperature
- 150 g caster sugar, superfine
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp liquid red food coloring
- Sea salt to sprinkle
Instructions
Red Velvet Brownies
- Preheat a fan forced oven to 170C / 350F (190C / 375F for no fan). Spray the bottom of a 20cm x 20cm / 8 x 8-inch baking tin with oil spray and line with baking paper. Set aside.
- Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl and gently melt. Microwave: 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time. Double boiler: place on top of a pot of water that’s gently boiling making sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Once melted and combined, allow to cool until warm. Do not use while hot.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine. Add most of the chocolate chips (set some aside for the topping) and use a spatula or spoon to coat. Set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract and whisk to combine, about 3 minutes. It will triple in size and become pale and fluffy. You can also do this using an electric hand mixer.
- Add the slightly cooled chocolate and butter mixture and whisk though until well combined. Add the red liquid food dye and mix through. Then add the dry ingredients and fold through using a spatula until a dough forms.
- Pour the mixture into the baking tin and spread evenly until flat. Bake for 16 minutes in the middle rack of your oven.
- As soon as it comes out of the oven, sprinkle with remining chocolate chips and some sea salt flakes. Allow to cool completely at room temperature before placing in the fridge for at least an hour. Use a large, sharp knife to slice up into 9 bars.
Notes
Nutrition – is based on per blondie bar. This recipe makes 9
A note on measurements – all ingredients in this recipe are offered in Australian cup measurements and weight measurements. Weight measurements are created by me, in my kitchen here in Melbourne Australia. The best way to get recipe success is to measure ingredients by weight, using kitchen scales.
Nutrition
2 comments
These really are the best-ever red velvet brownies. I’ve made these multiple times for coworkers, friends, and family, and they never fail to come out perfectly. They’re so moreish and are always a crowd pleaser! This has quickly become my default brownie recipe because they’re so easy and just so bulletproof from mistakes, too.
Thanks so much Rachel! I’m glad you loved them! N x