Ingredients (~24 brownies)
Red Velvet Brownies
- 3 oz unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Prep Your Pan and Melt the Butter
Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350F.
Melt the butter in the microwave in 30-second increments until completely melted; Set aside to cool slightly.
Mix the Base and Add Eggs
Put both sugars in a large mixing bowl, then add the melted butter and whisk together until combined.
Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix together. Don’t overmix – you’re not trying to add air into the mixture as that will make the brownies cakey instead of fudgy.
Add Oil, Cocoa, and Food Coloring
Add the vegetable oil and cocoa powder to the brownie batter and whisk together gently until completely combined.
Take a couple of tablespoons of the batter and put them into a small bowl. Add your red gel food coloring to this bowl and mix it in until the gel is completely incorporated with no lumps.
Add this red mixture back into the main bowl of batter and mix until the color is even throughout.
Fold in Dry Ingredients and Vinegar
Switch from a whisk to a rubber spatula and fold in the flour, cornstarch, and salt.
When there are no more lumps of flour, add the vinegar and mix in well. The vinegar is what gives red velvet its distinctive tang.
Bake the Brownies
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake for ~20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out with just moist crumbs on it.
Don’t overbake – they’ll continue cooking slightly as they cool and you want them fudgy, not dry.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting. This takes about 2 hours at room temperature.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese together until smooth and combined.
Add the powdered sugar and mix in slowly. Once the dust settles, turn your mixer to high speed and beat for ~3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and beat for another few seconds until incorporated.
Frost and Cut the Brownies
Spread the frosting evenly over the completely cooled brownies.
Cut into squares using a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts for neat edges.
Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownies
- 3 oz unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 3 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350F.
- Melt butter in microwave and let cool slightly.
- Whisk both sugars with melted butter until combined.
- Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, mixing gently without overbeating.
- Whisk in vegetable oil and cocoa powder until combined.
- Mix red gel food coloring into 2 tablespoons of batter, then stir back into main bowl until color is even.
- Switch to rubber spatula and fold in flour, cornstarch, and salt until no lumps remain.
- Fold in vinegar until well mixed.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes until skewer comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool completely at room temperature, about 2 hours.
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in vanilla until incorporated.
- Spread frosting evenly over cooled brownies.
- Cut into squares with a sharp knife, wiping blade between cuts.
