Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Icing
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!
Why You Must Make
- They’re 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.
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
Frosting Ingredients
How to Make
- Cream together butter and sugar, then mix in eggs.
- Add the red velvet paste and mix in dry ingredients.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake and cool
- Make the white chocolate frosting, spread it over cooled brownies, and dig in!
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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!
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:
- Red Velvet Marble Cake Recipe from Grandbaby Cakes
- Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies from Tidy Mom
- Gooey Red Velvet Brownie Cake from Beyond Frosting
- Red Velvet Checkerboard Cake
- Red Velvet Fudge
- Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- All my Best Dessert Recipes
Red Velvet Brownies Recipe
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
- Preheat oven to 350º. Line 8 x 8 pan with nonstick foil or regular foil. Grease regular foil with cooking spray if using.
- In a small bowl, mix cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla to form a paste. Set aside.
- 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.
- Spread in pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before frosting.
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 brownieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 141mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 0gSugar: 40gProtein: 3g
86 Comments on “Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Icing”
I am IN LOVE with these red velvet brownies! That white chocolate icing looks to die for, too – it’s so fluffy and mouthwatering! I can’t wait to try these, Liz!
My kids and I made these last year for the holidays and we can’t wait to make them again!
Hi, can I replace the white chocolate with cream cheese??
Hi, Preeya,
I’d just leave out the white chocolate. It should be fine. If you need to adjust the consistency of the frosting, just add more milk or more powdered sugar.
These look amazing Liz!
I just made these, and they were delicious! My husband loves brownies, and his favorite cake is red velvet, so he enjoyed the best of both worlds! The frosting is so creamy, too! Now I just need to stop eating them! 🙂
Thanks for letting me know, Joy; I love that frosting, too!!!!
Hi. Beautiful brownies. How did you get that icing so high and smooth? Thanks.
Kathy, I use a small off-set spatula (you can buy them at places like JoAnn fabrics or Michaels rather inexpensively). I will run it under hot water and dry it off before smoothing it over the frosting. That helps give a nice finished look. And the recipe makes enough for lots of frosting 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
Thanks for linking up to The Best Blog Recipe’s Weekend re-Treat #6!
Wanted to stop by and pin your image to My Link Parties Craft/DIY & Recipe Boards while I was here.
Hope you have a great rest of your week 🙂
Shauna
Gorgeous Lizzy! These are my Ladies Night favorite this week. Thanks for sharing. Hope to see you back this week.
No idea if I saw these the first time but I could look (and eat) them all day, every day.
Loved the idea of white chocolate icing and the way you played with all the different presentations.
Just beautiful, Liz!
Francie
The red velvet brownies look divine. You always take the most beautiful pictures, I love them.
These brownies are delightful. Red Velvet is seriously like a dessert first love to me and I love that white chocolate icing too. Wish I get to sink my teeth in them right now. ♥ Jo
Hi Lizzy. These look amazing! I’m a red velvet fan too! But would never have thought of making these red velvet brownies! Yummers! Should try this some time soon 🙂
These are simply gorgeous!
Lovely looking velvet brownies and I definitely belong to the new crowd and thanks for posting it for us!
I think my husband would feel the same way, if there isn’t much chocolate it’s not as exiting for him to eat. Your brownies are so neatly cut and presented, and I love white chocolate icing!
Oh my word!! You are killing me right now during Lent!! Love red velvet recipes!
Oh yes I remember your daughter loves red velvet. She’s a lucky girl who got to eat this already! I checked the fluffier one, but I love the look of your brownies better. White chocolate icing on top sounds really good!
I love red velvet ANYTHING! So these are a must try at my house. Found you on the blog hop. Thank you so much for the recipe! Thanks 🙂