It’s the week of love and I’m sharing some with y’all today! I have been dreaming of making Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting for a while now and thought February would be the perfect time to experiment. Who wouldn’t want thick, fudgy brownies with decadent cream cheese frosting for Valentine’s Day? I love classic desserts like this!
Before I started testing the recipe, I asked my Instagram friends if they prefer to make brownies in a smaller 8×8 pan or a 9×13 and they unanimously voted for the larger. I agree! If I’m going to make a mess and spend the time baking, I’d rather make a lot and freeze or share leftovers. The other suggestion that I got was for thick brownies and I agree with that too! For a large pan of thick brownies, you need a lot of ingredients which is what is listed. This recipe can easily be halved though!
Tips and Tricks for the Best Brownies
One of the secrets to a fudgy brownie is melted chocolate. I chose a dark 60% bittersweet chocolate for these and it was perfect. Then just a little cocoa powder is all you need for red velvet.
I experimented with a few different kinds of red food coloring and the winner was just good old classic liquid from McCormick. I tried the Watkins brand that is “dye free” and my brownies were more of a magenta (pictured here). If you want bright red, use liquid or gel for sure.
Another huge tip is to be very gentle with the batter. If you beat the butter and sugar too fast, it creates lots of air. Then once you add everything else, the batter becomes heavy. Once baked, the middle WILL sink! They are still very delicious but if you want your brownies to stay thick, mix slow and until everything is just barely combined. Aren’t you glad I made these over and over to figure these things out for y’all?
I didn’t take pics of the cream cheese frosting alone but I like mine with lots of cream cheese flavor and not overly sweet. It’s the perfect balance on top of those rich, fudgy red velvet brownies.
Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting are the Perfect Treat This Week
Valentine’s week just isn’t complete without something red velvet in my opinion. I love the slight cocoa flavors that you get with red velvet desserts. Moist vanilla cakes, cookies, or brownies with a little bit of cocoa. Combine those flavors with cream cheese frosting for another dimension of yumminess. One of my favorites!
When my friend tried these she said, “These are bomb! The flavor and texture is a cross between a fudgy brownie and a sugar cookie.” I couldn’t agree more! My kids gobbled these up before I could get a second one but that’s probably a good thing. Ha! I hope you find the time to make my Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting for someone you love this week!❤
Stay tuned because I’ll be on Good Things Utah tomorrow sharing ANOTHER amazing dessert for Valentine’s Day. Both of these desserts are so good, you’re not going to be able to choose!
Sponsored post for Lee’s Marketplace. Items on sale the week of February 9-15: Ghirardelli Bittersweet baking bar, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, flour
Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature softened
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by spraying inside bottom and sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Sift dry ingredients together-flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer (or whisked by hand), cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Drizzle in melted chocolate (make sure it isn't too hot). Once combined, add vanilla and food coloring.
- Slowly add in dry ingredients until just combined. Add more food coloring if needed to reach desired redness but be careful not to overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool completely before frosting.
- Make frosting by beating cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, salt and vanilla until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies and serve.
Notes
- This makes a huge pan of very thick brownies but can easily be halved if desired.
- If you overmix the brownie batter, or beat too fast, the middle will sink when baking. Be very gentle with the batter.
- Gel food coloring can be used as well. Just add as much as you need to reach desired redness.
This overflowed in my Pyrex 9×13 pan. You should make a note about putting the batter in 2 pans or a tall sided pan. Maybe I did something wrong because 30 minutes was definitely not long enough.
Taste good though!
Sorry you had issues! I have made this recipe several times in a basic 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish and it never even came close to overflowing. Thanks for the feedback.
I am aware that I get amazing perks from living close to this lady ❤ Yummy!! I loved that they were not too sweet, and the perfect thickness! The cream cheese on top was the icing on the cake 🎂❤ Must try!
Thank you! So happy you loved them!