These rich, decadent red velvet brownies are all decked out with a lovely, creamy vanilla bean cream cheese frosting! Made with the best home-made love, these are a Valentine's Day sweet treat sure to get some attention!
What is it about 'Red Velvet' that gets people excited?? It sounds sexy for sure! These Mini Red Velvet Brownies with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting are rockin the RED'!
They’re soft, dense and fudgy, with the awesome flavor you’d get from a traditional red velvet cake. These brownies taste great on their own, but the vanilla bean cream cheese frosting puts them in a league of their own.
Did you know the most popular red velvet desserts have chocolate in them and are usually adorned with cream cheese frosting? The cocoa overtones and and the tang of the cream cheese are a match made in heaven. They are never breaking up!
Making homemade red velvet brownies can seem pretty intimidating, but it's just like baking brownies, except with red food coloring, basically.
I like using the food coloring gel versus red food coloring, because you don't have to use as much to get that robust red color
. But if you're worried about non-toxic and safe food coloring gel
, it's available.
For a shortcut, you can use cream cheese frosting already pre-made and add scrape some vanilla beans right into the frosting!
How tempting do these mini red velvet brownies look?
Can't you just see them at a special Valentine's dinner on a cute little party tray afterwards with some coffee, hot cocoa or my favorite, some bubbly champagne!
Birthday, Christmas, 4th of July, Mother's Day and Anniversary Parties are all calling for these! And then again, brownie lovers are too!
More Red Velvet lovelies!
Valentine Red Velvet Party Blast Cookie Pie
Red Velvet Cake Donuts with Cream Cheese Frosting (Of course)
"American Beauty" Retro Red Velvet Cake
Mini Red Velvet Brownies with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownies
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 ¾ cups Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk room temp
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cups + 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temp, I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temp
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 or 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste I used Nielsen-Massey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a 9x9 or 8x8 baking pan with heavy-duty foil and very lightly grease the foil with vegetable shortening, like crisco.
Red Velvet Brownies
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over your lowest setting, then add the milk chocolate chips stirring constantly with a small whisk until melted and smooth.
- Turn off heat and let set.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs into the bowl and lightly whisk.
- Add in the brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt and whisk it all together.
- Whisk in the melted chocolate into the egg/sugar mixture until just combined.
- Add in the vanilla and red food coloring.
- In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together and sift into the chocolate mixture.
- Stir with a silicone spatula and pour and spread out evenly into your prepared baking pan.
- Bake 40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean and transfer pan to cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Refrigerate, covered until cooled to frost.
- Lay out on tin foil or cutting board and cut into 16 or 25 squares evenly using a sharp knife.
- Make frosting.
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place cream cheese, butter, vanilla, vanilla bean paste and salt in small mixing bowl.
- Using a mixer, beat on medium high until well combined.
- Add confectioners sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Place frosting in a pastry bag with a pastry open or closed star tube and pipe a star in the middle, then pipe frosting around the star to create a rose.
- Add sprinkles, chocolate shavings, etc.
- Put back in fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
Kim Lange says
It should be baking powder Annie. I hope they still turned out for you as far as taste. I updated it, I do thank you for letting me know and am truly sorry.
Annie says
Hi Kim,
Is it baking soda or baking powder? Ingredients say baking soda but the directions say baking powder. I rolled the dice and used baking soda because I had already started to make it. Just like another commenter said, the middle of the pan the brownies got really flat and the edges were raised. 🙁
Kim Lange says
I apologize Barbara! Updated the instructions, so I hope this helps you!
Barbara says
Also step 7... is it baking soda as listed in ingredients or baking powder as directed in instructions? I'm not a "baker" so if any of this is obvious typos and clear to an average baker, I apologize. It's just very confusing to me. I wish someone could set me straight.
Kim Lange says
Hi Suz! I'm so sorry that happened to you. If you over-beat and or under-bake the brownies, that will happen. When you beat the eggs and butter you incorporate air into them, and the flour stabilizes the air bubbles. But if too much air is in the mixture for the amount of flour, the brownies "over-expand" as they bake, but collapse as they cool and the unstable air bubbles deflate. Hope that helps? I hope you try it again!
Suz says
Kim, I made this recipe twice and each time the middle caved in so the side were high and the middle was caved in! What went wrong. I just loved your look but mine was not near it... Help!
Kim Lange says
Hi Lyn! It's totally fine to leave them out for your party for hours. If you have any left, just store them in the fridge after the party, if you'd like. Hope you enjoy!!! 🙂 Thank you!!
Lyn says
Hello. These look so pretty. I am going to make them for a Valentines party. Do they have to be refrigerated after frosting them? I was hoping to leave them out on the counter. Thanks 🙂
Kim Lange says
Absolutely Pat! Happy Baking and hope you enjoy!! 🙂
Pat Markley says
Can I double the recipe and make it in a 9X12 pan?
ChocolaTess says
Jess, Congrats on your pregnancy! LOL, you just made me giggle, being pregnant and confused...I swear it happens to all of us! But I did update the recipe instructions just a little to add more clarity. Yes, add the egg/sugar mixture to the chocolate/butter mixture. 🙂 Hope you enjoy! These are amazing!
Jess says
Hey, I want to try these for this Valentine’s Day, but I need some clarity about the egg step. Am I adding the eggs to the chocolate /butter mix? So sorry to ask such a silly question, but I’m pregnant and therefore confused all the time.
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes says
These are such pretty and adorable little brownies!! A cute dessert, perfect for Valentines! The red is so striking!
ChocolaTess says
I agree Deb! They are the cutest!! Thank you so much!! 🙂
Deb says
I love these sweet little cuties! Not only perfect for Valentine's Day, but for any day!! Thanks, Kim!
ChocolaTess says
Definitely Teresa! 🙂
teresa says
Send a batch my way, Kim. 🙂
ChocolaTess says
Thank you Kelly! 🙂
ChocolaTess says
Thank you Katherine!! 🙂
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats says
Mmmmm yes. Definitely with coffee! The frosting sounds so creamy and vanilla-y! And I love red velvet. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!!!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
I would eat about a million of these if I made them. So yummy - that vanilla-bean cream cheese frosting would be so perfect!! Drool!
ChocolaTess says
Thank you so much Catherine!! xo
Catherine says
Oh my goodness, these red velvet brownies are chewy, gorgeous deliciousness! They look soooooo scrumptious! 😀
ChocolaTess says
LOL Kelsie! I love the way you think! 🙂
ChocolaTess says
Yes, absolutely Laura! 🙂 Enjoy!!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
These would be the cutest for a Valentine's Day party! But I'd have to make two batches because one would be all for me 🙂
Laura says
Can I just use regular vanilla extract instead of the paste?
ChocolaTess says
Thank you so much Maria, that is sooooo sweet! These little brownie bites are the cutest for sure!
Maria | kitchenathoskins says
These are too darn cute Kim:) You are the Godess of baked goods, my dear!!! I've never met anyone that doesn't love red velvet cake and making a brownie version of that is genius!.