For the past three weeks I’ve been craving a yellow butter cake with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream frosting. This post obviously isn’t about that cake. It’s about these Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Frosting that I nearly had to wipe the drool off of my keyboard from when I came across the recipe. A chewy, dense, bright red (and in my opinion, all red velvet should be) brownie topped with a fluffy white chocolate buttercream frosting that actually tastes like the white chocolate I fell in love with as a child. These are the type of brownies that will make your old Aunt Rhonda kick herself for not thinking to bring to the church picnic before her old rival, Harriett, did just that. They’ll make people swoon and clamor over each other for seconds. You’ll watch these babies disappear and will beam with delight.
I’ve only made one other red velvet recipe in my lifetime and I had forgotten about the destructive power of red food coloring so be prepared to go slowly when it comes time to add it in. Fortunately, the recipe seems to compress the mess because you’ll stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and some vanilla into a paste that you’ll add to the batter rather than pouring all of the food coloring into a whirling mixer. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. The white chocolate frosting is insanely sweet and I almost thought it was too sweet but by the next day, the white chocolate flavor seemed to blossom and the sweetness had diminished just a tad. Because of this, I highly recommend making the frosting a day or two in advance and sticking it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the brownies; it will need to come to room temperature and will likely need a good stir before you’ll be able to frost. Whatever you do though, don’t wait another millisecond to make these. You’ll be kicking yourself when they show up at your next party and someone else will be doing all the beaming.
[9.2.11 Update] Note: I’ve edited the bake time of the recipe below to better reflect the comments people have left about the brownies being undercooked at 30 minutes. All ovens vary so use your best judgement and the toothpick test to ensure doneness.
Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
source: adapted from How Sweet It Is
For the brownies:
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz red food coloring (or a scant 2 tbsp)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
For the white chocolate buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 oz good-quality white chocolate (not chips), melted – I recommend Callebaut
1 – 2 tbsp heavy cream
To make the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.
In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla. With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes. Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars, and serve, or remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, frost, and serve.
To make the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated. With the mixer on low, add in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.
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It turned out BEAUTIFUL! ……..until I dropped it. YES. I dropped my perfectly cooked cake. It took so long and it looked so damn good! Very defeated
Jamie: Oh NO!! I’m so sorry. I hope you were able to salvage some of it.
These look amazing! Has anyone tried to double the recipe?
I was wondering about doubling the recipe too. It looks like this makes a small batch. But looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
I doubled the brownie portion and baked in in a 13×9 pan. The frosting doesn’t need to be doubled. I had a ton left over.
Can I cheat and use a box mix and put food coloring in it???
Jane: I don’t know – I’ve never tried it and I don’t “doctor-up” box mixes so I can’t say for sure. It will take you all of 5 minutes to mix up the batter from scratch so I really encourage this method.
DELISH, DELISH, D.E.L.I.S.H.!!!
These look heavenly!
i just made these here where i live in norway, and it was SO delicious, especially the frosting. however, they didnt come out red! they were more like maroonish brown, mostly brown. i used the correct amount of die and followed the instructions directly, but i was wondering if maybe here in norway the food coloring dye isnt as strong or something because of the restrictions they put on lots of things (in terms of heath reasons)….or maybe did i just use too much cocoa??
You dropped it? 3 second rule doesn’t apply for sweets….it’s all good
Wow those Look SOOOOOOOOOO yummy.
These are so good!! Just made them with the kids and they were a BIG hit! Thank you!
These look amazing, but when I saw the list of ingredients, I got a little concerned. Don’t most red velvet recipes call for a little vinegar and buttermilk? That’s what gives it that unique flavor, isn’t it? These sound like regular chocolate brownies with red food coloring. Do they come out tasting like red velvet anyway?
Katie: Yes, in fact they do taste like red velvet but I didn’t develop the recipe so I can’t speak to the reason behind not using vinegar and/or buttermilk. You can always hop over to How Sweet Eats via the link I provided and ask her your question.
Ooh, great. Thanks!
I made these for my Birthday today; this recipe is a keeper!
I made the frosting last night, its delicious! I’ll be making the brownies tonight. The family can’t wait! We love red velvet!
I AM IN LOVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can’t wait to try this out !
Great reads x x
These are amazing. I doubled the recipe and baked it it a 9×13 pan and they turned out great. I absolutely love the frosting. Since it was commented they were really sweet and did not taste much like white chocolate until they day after I decided to add a little more white chocolate and i could taste it in the frosting right away. I agree with it being sweet though. I was thinking about next time I make it and think maybe adding more white chocolate and less powdered sugar would work.
I was thinking of making these but with cream cheese frosting. Thoughts?
Amy: Yes, cream cheese frosting would be good on these brownies as well.
I think that a cream cheese frosting would be much better with the red velvet brownies! it is a better combination! try it!
Question regarding the food coloring amount:
2 ounces is 4 tablespoons, not 2 tablespoons.
My “small” bottle of red food coloring (from a multi-pack) is about .25 ounces; my decent-sized bottle is 1 ounce.
Misplaced decimal or doubling gone wrong?
Kate: I would add 2 ounces and more if you feel like the batter should be a brighter red.
I usually just buy a 1oz. Container of the red food coloring in the cake aisle or wedding aisle of walmart. Works perfect and i get the right color of red food coloring which makes it alot less messy.
My brownies collapsed! What happened? I followed everything to the tee.
Lynsey: As you can see from my 2nd photo, the brownies do collapse a little. As long as the toothpick comes out clean, they will be fine.
yum yum yummmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
The recipe suggest Callebaut white chocolate – where can I buy that?
These were good but did not taste anything like red velvet. BTW 1 oz = 2 tablespoons and that was enough coloring the batch I made.
All I have is a hand-mixer…do you think I can still make these brownies successfully? I’m not much of a baker, but I love red velvet!
Jennifer: I can’t say for sure because I haven’t used one for these brownies but it should be fine to use.
Is there a non-dairy alternative for the frosting?
Megan: I don’t have one but you could try Google for a non-dairy version.
Wow… it really looks amazing and so delicious!!! I have to try makeing it!!!!
Saw your link on Pinterest.
Wilton makes a food colouring “gel” that is much more potent than the liquids. You get more “pow” with less red; because adding too much red sometimes makes baked goods taste really yucky. ;c) They also have a “no taste” version of the red available so you can go wild! I’ve used the gels before and they are fabulous.
I will DEFINITELY be trying this recipe when we have family over for Christmas.
Just made these! They were DELICIOUS!! Great Secret Santa gift!
The brownies are cooling on the counter. Here’s my thoughts so far:
1) Used a little less than 4 T. food coloring, and the color is perfect: a bright red.
2) A little annoyed because, as directed, I buttered and floured the pan. I completely forgot that I always line the pan with tin foil. They always come out perfect, ready to be cut and placed on a serving platter. But, since I forgot to use tin foil, those brownies ain’t going nowhere. I hope that they will be easier to cut after they cool.
3) I also prefer to use a pan larger than the 8″x8″ recommended. The 8×8 pan makes only about 9 super-thick brownies. I’d rather have 20 medium-thick brownies, especially since they are going to be frosted.
4) Red dye causes thyroid tumors in rats, and may cause tumors in humans. (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/04/05/12-dangerous-food-additives-the-dirty-dozen-food-additives-you-really-need-to-be-aware-of.htm) I wonder if it’s possible to make these with a natural coloring? Maybe beet juice?
So glad I’m not the only one with super thick brownies. I mean, more than twice the size of the pics above. When you change the size of the pan how do you adjust the bake time? (fellow accountingnerd here
)
Peah: What size pan did you use? A smaller pan would yield thicker brownies but the recipe already calls for an 8″x8″ pan.
Mine also came out really thick. I was hoping they would be dense and brownie-like, but they turned out more like cake. :/ I was making mine for a bakesale at school, so I did two recipes, and made 18 brownies. One recipe of icing was enough for both batches. I might try the recipe again in a 9 x 13 pan for a shorter cooking time and see if they’ll turn out more like the picture. I didn’t actually get to eat them, but they were the first to sell out at the bakesale.
I did get to taste the icing, though, and it was AMAZING! 
Hi! just a comment to your question about the dye, true southern red velvet cake is made with beet juice so it’s totally possible to use that instead
I have a Wilton pan that makes 12 mini-cakes (I don’t have the pan on me to remember exactly what it’s called) and I was thinking of making individual sizes for my co-workers for Christmas. Does anyone tell me if the frosting sets up, so that I could potentially put them into plastic gift bags, or should I find another method of individually packaging them?
I doubled the recipe and baked them in my 9×13 pan, baked them for 40 minutes. (I only had one ounce of red food coloring, but they were plenty red.) I frosted with cream cheese frosting and they were FABULOUS! This recipe will be a keeper~Thanks!
I am not sure what I am doing wrong, but I have tried to make these twice and every time the center does not seem to cook. I can leave them in longer and it will but then the sides get too cooked.
Tiffany: I’m sorry the recipe hasn’t worked out for you. Have you thought about tenting the baking dish with tin foil to prevent browning?
Absolutely excellent! My girlfriend prepared a dinner for me on Christmas Eve, and the star were the Red Velvet Brownie! She didn’t bother to make the icing, as this was a last minute dish and she was pressed for time, and it was her first time trying this recipe. OMG, and the brownies were still delicious!
My brownies are cooling on the counter, they smell amazing. I did exactly what you said not to do and used chocolate chips for my frosting. I didnt have much of a choice I had everything in the house to make these and I just couldnt wait! In my defense, they were Giradelli so at least they were good quality. The frosting tastes amazing!!!!
I didnt have enough red food coloring so I ended up using 1 tablespoon red, 1/2 tablespoon pink and 1/2 tablespoon neon purple. They actually came out a really pretty color. lol.
Fantastic recipe cant wait to eat them!
I used gel color bc it takes less food coloring, but the cocoa mixture was very dry and crumbly. I ignored that and continued, but the top of the brownies got very hard/crusty, so took them out of the oven 4 minutes early. Then when I cut into them, they were like a lava cake inside!
My family & guests loved them that way, but I sure would like to know, is the top supposed to be so crusty and hard? If so I will ignore it next time and let it cook. Or maybe I’ll put some tinfoil over the top so it won’t burn on top.
Renee: I wouldn’t recommend taking them out early as they will need the full time to bake. So yes, next time, tent the pan with some tin foil about halfway through and then test with a toothpick before you take them out of the oven. You may still need to break through the top a little to get an accurate toothpick test.
I made these today but forgot I was out of red food coloring. So I used green instead lol
thanks for sharing this recipe!!
And it turned out great!! I’m suppose to be on a diet but I’m in trouble now!! The icing is to die for!!
wow the picks are to die for! i wanna prepare and make some for valentines day, its okay to put the brownie mixture in little heart shaped pans? so when it comes out its little heart shaped will that be okay to use for this? im kinda new to be baking im just doing for fun and sharing to my friends and families so help please with tips
and if this might be possible how will i be able to wrap it and give it to someone without messing up the cream in a nicely wrapped way?
thanks reply please(:
Jessica: Individual pans will likely work but you’ll have to reduce the baking time depending on how big the pans are. I wouldn’t recommend wrapping them individually though since you’ll risk messing up the frosting…but there’s nothing saying you can’t try it first!
Do you the measurements I can use in England? We dont use ‘cups’ here, its usually ounces or grams!!
Sofia: Check Google for instructions about how to convert volume to weight. I’m sorry but I’m no help with that.
I found these on the Lauren Conrad website as a Valentines Day gift idea and after reading, I definately can’t wait to try them out!!!
I think I will try these wit hhe4art shaped cookie cutters for Valentines day!
I made these tonight. They are wonderful. I found the recipe on pinterest as well. May take a few to work tomorrow and share. I will be making them again.
Wow what a great recipe. I will be sure to try this next time I bake.
Thanks for sharing
Sara
omg, made a trial run batch of these (gonna make more for valentine’s day) tasted delish plain, but EVEN MORE AMAZING with the frosting, yumyumyum! gonna share with housemates or else i’ll become obese aha. thanks for the recipe!!
Minny: Yay! So great to hear how much you loved them! And I agree – the frosting IS to die for!
Ok I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong!! I followed the recipe precisely and both times the brownies tasted deliscious but they stuck to the pan so bad that they were massacred when trying to remove them from the pan:0( what is my problem I buttered and floured the pan any suggestions?
Bernadette: I really don’t know what the problem is – I haven’t experienced this with this recipe. Next time try lining the pan with foil and butter/flour or grease the foil with cooking spray. Once the brownies are cooled, you can lift them straight out of the pan, remove the foil, and cut. Hope that helps.
Love this recipe!!
The brownie mixture turned out really nice – looked great and tasted lovely.
Would definitely recommend this recipe!
I made these for my boyfriend and family. There were absolutely amazing. Only change I made was using cream cheese frosting
nom!
Just made the white chocolate buttercream for my mini red velvet cupcakes it is wonderful! Thanks so much. They will be the hit of the birthday party.
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