Red Velvet Brownies

Red Velvet Brownies are the prettiest dessert this side of Valentine’s Day. Crafted from an authentic red velvet cake recipe, these buttermilk brownies with cream cheese frosting will melt in your mouth.

Despite living in the south the majority of my life, I’ll always be a northerner at heart. I love fall leaves, furry boots and telling people to go fly a kite. With a metal key attached. During a major lightening storm. Call it anti-social or part of my Yankee charm; Southern hospitality just isn’t in my genes. Besides, it’s too damn hot in Florida to be nice.

While I can’t stomach Southern pleasantries, Southern recipes are a different story. In fact, there’s nothing my stomach likes more than a Southern-made dessert. And the best of the best is a Southern classic: Red Velvet Cake. There’s just something about this crimson cake that wows no matter what form you eat it in: layer cake, sheet cake, bundt cake or brownies.

That’s right, I said red velvet brownies. It’s a ruby red dessert scratch-made in true southern fashion: with moisture-packing buttermilk, white vinegar and cocoa powder. And bless your heart if you think adding food coloring to box mix brownies is a passable shortcut. Don’t do it; that’s blasphemous to anyone below the Mason-Dixon line.

Keep the peace between geographic regions in the States and try this stand-out recipe for yourself. No matter where you call home, these bright red brownies are pure perfection slathered with a tangy white layer of cream cheese frosting.

Before sharing the recipe for Red Velvet Brownies, here are a few tips to help you out:

I only bake with unbleached all-purpose flour. Bleach should only be added to brownies for a cheating boyfriend, not brownies you’re eating yourself.

For best results (and to avoid lumps), cream cheese must be at room temperature before preparing frosting.

Gel food coloring is recommended because it is more vibrant and less batter diluting than regular food coloring. Double the amount of food coloring in the recipe if you are substituting a non-gel color.

Above all, always bake brownies in a shiny metal pan. Avoid glass and stoneware pans for brownies because of their prolonged bake times.

Remove brownies from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. If the batter is still wet then continue baking and check again in one minute increments. Take care to avoid overbaking.

Cover and store frosted brownies in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 2 months.

Unfrosted brownies can be stored covered at room temperature up to 3 days.

I hope you enjoy this Red Velvet Brownie recipe. Please leave a rating and review below when you try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe!

Finally, if you like unique brownies then you’ll love this Cherry Cheesecake Brownies Recipe. Made from scratch, these fudgy brownies are studded with cherry pie filling and creamy cheesecake for a swirl of both in every bite.