I have something to admit… I am not a brownie person! I know, crazy, but the reason is I feel like homemade ones never taste as good as I want them to. Probably because as a kid I, like so many of you, was spoiled with the Ghirardelli boxed brownies and those are the impossible standard I have held all other brownies to my entire life. Dramatic? Yes. So I finally set out to recreate them in a homemade form and dare I say, these might even be better??? I created that recipe with these Copycat Ghirardelli Brownies, and for this recipe decided to put a fun twist on them by making them Red Velvet and topping with a delicious cream cheese frosting 🙂
RECIPE TIPS:
- Chocolate: I found the only way to make these taste like an exact Ghirardelli copycat is to use their products! Their cocoa powder and baking chocolate can be found in most grocery stores in the baking aisle. If you have another type you can use it and they will still be delicious!
- Red food dye: Did you realize that red velvet is just chocolate cake dyed red? For this recipe I use a gel food dye and use between 1-2 teaspoons.
- Cream cheese frosting: They key to making the best cream cheese frosting is to start with all room temperature ingredients. If the cream cheese is cold, it will end up in clumps spread throughout. I also like the beat the butter and cream cheese together until totally smooth before adding any other ingredients. Cream cheese frosting does need to be refrigerated!
- Baking pan: This recipe, and truly most baked dessert, calls for a metal baking pan. They heat more evenly than glass pans and I have found everything tastes better in a metal pan. I love this one because it comes with a lid which is perfect for storing/travel.
I know people can be very particular about their brownies so let me start by saying my preference is fudgy. Cakey brownies to me are too dry but I understand some people think fudgy brownies taste underbaked. If you prefer the cake-like texture, add 5-8 minutes to your baking time!
Red Velvet Brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Ghirardelli cocoa powder
- 2 tsp red food dye
For the frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tbsp butter room temperature, I prefer salted but you can use either!
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tbsp milk or heavy cream room temperature
Instructions
For the brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13 inch metal pan and set aside. In a large bowl combine melted butter, oil, granulated and brown sugar. Whisk to combine. Add in vanilla and eggs and beat for 30 seconds, until the batter becomes a lighter brown.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix lightly until just combined. Add in the red food dye and mix until evenly incorporated. Bake for 24-28 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles. If you want fudgy brownies, do not over bake! If you prefer cakey brownies, bake for 5-8 minutes longer. Remove from the over and let cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the vanilla, salt, powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. Cream until smooth. Add additional milk if needed. Top the brownies with the cream cheese frosting and use a spoon or spatula to spread an even layer. Will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days!
This recipe was not the greatest. I followed everything to a T, including pan size and chocolate. The batter took 60 minutes to bake. After 30 mins, the center was liquid, from there I did 10 min increments until it was finally editable. The batter looked so promising too. The frosting was a nightmare, I’ve made cream cheese frosting from another blogger and it was perfect. This frosting was so runny you could drink it. I had to knix everything and go with another recipe. Not sure what went wrong, I had high hopes for it.
Red velvet is not chocolate dyed red, the red color comes from a reaction made from the cocao and vinegar.