Monday, June 20, 2011

Red Velvet Brownies


I'm such a tease. I promise you brownies then run away for a week and a half. Honestly, that wasn't my intention.

There was a lot of this involved:

A little bit of this:

And a whole lot driving through this:

Ahem, yes. I may have driven all the way from the Minneapolis airport to Aberdeen, South Dakota, then up to southwestern North Dakota for a week.

Not really recommended unless you enjoy hunting pheasants and deer with your car, which I unintentionally tried to do on multiple occasions. This, however, is where my grandparents and a couple of my aunts and uncles live, thus, my mom, sister, her two kiddos, and I all made the trek out there after my cousin's wedding.

Details, details. Brownies are far more important, are they not?

Especially when they are red velvet and topped with a white chocolate buttercream. Delicious? Absolutely.

Red Velvet Brownies


Adapted from: How Sweet It Is

3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 8 x 8 baking dish.

Stir together cocoa powder, red food coloring, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix in cocoa powder mixture, beating until batter is completely red (add more food coloring if desired). Stir in flour and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla. Slowly stir in powdered sugar. Mix in melted white chocolate and beat until incorporated. Add milk with mixer on low speed until consistency desired is achieved.


Makes: 16 bars


These brownies come together fairly quick, and use mostly pantry staples. That's a big win for me. No extra trips to the grocery store. Although this can deplete your vanilla and red food coloring stores in the blink of an eye. Especially when you make multiple batches of these. Not like I would do that or anything. Err, or maybe I would.

These turned out exactly as expected, almost like a very dense and compact version of a red velvet cake. But instead of cake you have a brownie, which is far easier to pick up and eat while passing by. And that, my friends, is why batch #2 went to work with Adam instead of staying home with me.



Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 290Calories from fat 114
% Daily Value
Total Fat 12.7g19%
Saturated Fat 7.9g39%
Cholesterol 49mg16%
Sodium 114mg5%
Total Carbs 42.5g14%
Fiber 0.8g3%
Sugars 33.8g
Protein 2.7g
Vitamin A 6%Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 3%Iron 5%

23 comments:

  1. Aren't all of her recipes THE BEST?! They look great!

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  2. Brownies are definitely important!

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  3. Mmm, makes me wish I made brownies instead of the scones that are baking away right now! :-p

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  4. Oh, yeah...these are fabulous! I've made this recipe...and can vouch for their deliciousness :)

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  5. Haha, living in New England now I really miss the flat landscape of the midwest. That seems like quite a drive though. I love red velvet cake. My husband doesn't understand it. But it is special, and my secret soulmate. I will definitely have to try this brownie version!

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  6. This recipe looks delicious. Why have I not heard of red velvet brownies before? I just made a batch of brownies but I may have to make another to try this recipe.

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  7. They look so delicious! I want some. What a great job you did. Thanks.

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  8. Oh. My. Stars.
    I must make these. NOW.

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  9. wow, busy, busy week. Sorry you did some unintentional hunting of animals while on the drive. But your brownies look delish!

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  10. Those brownies look so good. I love the white chocolate frosting!

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  11. Having recently driven from PA to San Diego, I can sympathize with the boring drive.

    I love her recipes,great choice. These turned out to be lighter than I expected.

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  12. Look at those beautiful brownies!! They are so much fun with the red color. I bet these taste fantastic! We are glad to have you back :-)

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  13. Wow! These are over the top! A combination of two of my favorite desserts. Love!

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  14. Love it! Especially the buttercream! :D

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  15. I have been dying to try red velvet brownies! These look great and red velvet is a favorite of mine.

    I hope your trip was great!

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  16. I think I've died and gone to Red Velvet Heaven.

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  17. Question- My son wants these instead of cake for his birthday. Problem is converting the recipe to use a 1/2 sheet cake pan. I am terrible at it when it comes to baking. Any advice or tips? Thanks!!!!!

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  18. @foodiemama How fun for a birthday "cake"! The original dish I used was an 8x8 glass pan. I'm not sure what size exactly a 1/2 sheet cake pan is? I would think if it was considerably larger, you might want to 1 1/2 or double the recipe. If the batter height is about the same (about 1 1/2 inches) I would keep the bake time about the same, maybe start checking it a little early (thinner cut the cooking time, thicker cook for longer). If the pan size isn't that far off, maybe keep the amount the same and start checking the doneness around 20-25 min instead. Hope that helps!

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  19. Oh, and double the buttercream for sure!

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  20. Thanks- The pan is 12x18x2. It is considerably larger. I wonder if there is somewhere I can type in the amounts and it could calculate it for me, haha. I am so happy to find this and so is my son (and the party goers as well!)

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  21. @foodiemama Maybe this site will help? http://baking911.com/pantry/substitutes_pansizes.htm

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