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Red Velvet Desserts have always been my daughter’s favorite. Katie has requested red velvet cake or cupcakes for her birthday numerous times, so I knew she’d love a batch of these Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Icing!

This Red Velvet Brownies Recipe is made from scratch and the rich White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting pushes it over the top!

3 red velvet brownies on a white ceramic tray.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 Brownie Ingredients
4 Frosting Ingredients
5 Expert Tips
6 How to Make
7 Frequently Asked Questions
8 You May Also Like:
9 Red Velvet Brownies Recipe

Why You Must Make

  • Red Velvet Bars are an easy way to get your red velvet fix!
  • There’s almost as much cream cheese frosting as brownie in every bite!
  • The color makes them fun for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and even patriotic holidays if you add a few blue or red, white, and blue sprinkles.

Katie loves anything red velvet. The hubby does not. I think he expected more chocolate flavor when he first tasted one of my red velvet cupcakes. He’ll still eat them, mind you, but would much rather have a devil’s food version with chocolate buttercream.

The minimal amount of cocoa powder is the reason Katie is such a fan, and why Bill is not. So to balance out all the lava cakes of late, I whipped up a batch of red velvet brownies. The Queen of the House, as she is known around here, loves special treats just for her.

Overhead view of 2 red velvet brownies on a round white plate.

Ingredient Notes

Here are the ingredients for the red velvet brownies, then the white chocolate buttercream.

  • Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Eggs, Flour Salt, Milk
  • Butter – Salted butter is fine, have it at room temperature for easy incorporation.
  • Vanilla – Make sure it’s real vanilla extract, not artificially flavored.
  • Cocoa Powder – I use Ghirardelli cocoa powder. Use regular cocoa powder not Dutch process.
  • Red Food Coloring – A one-ounce bottle has two tablespoons of food coloring.
  • Powdered Sugar – Sift for smooth frosting.
  • White Chocolate – I chop, then melt a Ghirardelli bar in the microwave.

Brownie Ingredients

Labeled red velvet brownie ingredients on a sheet pan.

Frosting Ingredients

Labeled red velvet brownie frosting ingredients on a sheet pan.

Expert Tips

  • PRO-Tip: Have your butter and eggs at room temperature for easier incorporation.
  • This recipe uses 2 tablespoons of red food coloring! That is typically a one-ounce bottle.
  • Sift your powdered sugar for the smoothest frosting.
  • For the best white chocolate flavor, use a bar of white chocolate, like Ghirardelli. The frosting will taste better than if made with white chocolate chips (but they are definitely a viable substitute.)
  • PRO-Tip: To cut clean slices, chill your brownies, then use a hot knife to cut. I dip my knife into a glass of extremely hot water, dry it off, then cut. Bring the brownies back to room temperature to serve.
  • If you’d like fluffier icing, add a little more milk to make the frosting softer and of piping consistency. The recipe below will make the denser frosting seen in these photos.

How to Make

Red velvet brownies pan with red velvet paste.
Prepare baking pan and make red velvet paste.
Sugar, butter, eggs mixed in bowl.
Cream together butter and sugar, then mix in eggs.
Red velvet paste mixed into batter.
Mix in red velvet paste, then dry ingredients.
Batter spread into baking pan.
Spread batter in prepared pan.
Brownies baked, cooled and frosting applies
Bake, cool, make frosting and frost brownies.
4 red velvet brownies on a white ceramic tray.
Slice into squares and dig in!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Red Velvet Brownies really Brownies?

The definition of a brownie is a “small square of rich chocolate cake, usually containing nuts.” Well, I think that answers that!
These red velvet brownies are neither brownies nor blondies, which are pale cookie bars, but instead just plain ol’ cookie bars. There is a smidgen of cocoa powder, but not enough to make them a true chocolate dessert. My husband will confirm this!

What Constitutes a Red Velvet Dessert?

First, and foremost, they need some sort of red coloring. These brownies have a healthy dose of red food coloring, but other red velvet recipes utilize ingredients like beet juice for a more natural dye.

Though dark in appearance, a red velvet dessert only has a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to darken and deepen the red velvet color versus giving it a chocolate taste.

In most red velvet recipes, there’s also some vinegar added to the batter which interacts with the cocoa and buttermilk to work some magic baking chemistry. This trio of ingredients brings out the red anthocyanin in cocoa powder, thus enhancing the red color.

These brownies contain neither vinegar nor buttermilk, but they’re still a very obvious red color!

You May Also Like:

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2 red velvet brownies on a round white dessert plate.
The Recipe:

Red Velvet Brownies Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Yield 16 brownies

Irresistible red velvet brownies smothered in a thick layer of white chocolate icing.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 ¼ cups flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons red food coloring

Frosting:

  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
  • ½ tablespoon milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line 8 x 8 pan with nonstick foil or regular foil. Grease regular foil with cooking spray if using.
  2. In a small bowl, mix cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla to form a paste. Set aside.
  3. With a mixer, cream butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then add the second teaspoon of vanilla. Then beat in cocoa paste. Add flour and salt, and mix just until combined.
  4. Spread in pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before frosting.
  5. Cream butter with a mixer till fluffy. Add vanilla. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, then white chocolate. Add enough milk to reach desired consistency. Frost the cooled brownies.

Notes

For the cleanest slices, chill, cut, then serve at room temperature.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 brownie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 141mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 0gSugar: 40gProtein: 3g

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts