What is it about ‘Red Velvet’ that gets people excited when someone mentions the words ‘Red Velvet’? 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.
Making homemade red velvet brownies can seem pretty intimidating, but once you do it, you’ll never go back.
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!
Amazon links used: I used red food
How tempting do these 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 calling for these! And then again, brownie lovers are too!
More Red Velvet lovelies!
‘Kiss Me’ Red Velvet Brownies
Valentine Red Velvet Party Blast Cookie Pie
Red Velvet Cake Donuts with Cream Cheese Frosting (Of course)
Red Velvet Luv Truffles
Red Velvet Tuxedo Brownies
Mini Red Velvet Brownies with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownies
- 1 1/8 or sticks or 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 3/4 cups Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk room temp
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temp, I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 1/4 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
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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.
I apologize Barbara! Updated the instructions, so I hope this helps you!
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!
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!
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 ๐
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!!! ๐ Thank you!!
Can I double the recipe and make it in a 9X12 pan?
Absolutely Pat! Happy Baking and hope you enjoy!! ๐