Chocolate-Swirled Red Velvet Brownies — These easy red velvet brownies are topped with an abundance of chocolate and are velvety soft and smooth! They don’t call it red velvet for nothing!
Chocolate-Swirled Red Velvet Brownies
Red velvet fever has begun in advance of Valentine’s Day. It’s everywhere. Here’s my contribution.
This recipe tasted like a cross between red velvet brownies and red velvet bars. Not over-the-top chocolaty to give them true brownie status, but much fudgier, denser, and richer than your typical bar.
Classic red velvet is known to have chocolate undertones, but isn’t overly chocolaty, and these easy cocoa powder brownies hit that mark.
And they’re as far away from red velvet cake that you can get. Nothing light, fluffy, or cakey about them. They’re smooth, rich, dense, and supremely moist.
They’re an easy, no-mixer, scratch recipe that comes together in minutes. Just as easy as opening a box of red velvet cake mix, but so much better and more unique tasting.
The chocolate swirls on top help to accentuate the cocoa that’s stirred into the batter. The overall chocolate level is present, but not too dark or too intense.
They’re buttery, rich, and velvety soft and smooth. They don’t call it red velvet for nothing.
What’s in the Red Velvet Brownies?
To make these red velvet brownie bars, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Red food coloring
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Red Velvet Brownies
I made them by adapting my trusty blondies base recipe. Melt 1 stick of butter, stir in an egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and then whisk in cocoa powder.
Then I added the red food coloring, and lots of it. I bought two sets of Betty Crocker gel food coloring (with red, blue, yellow, and green) in order to get two red vials needed. And lucky me, I have enough green on hand that I’m already ready for Saint Paddy’s Day projects, now and through the year 2030.
My grocery stores stopped carrying the old fashioned drops and gel is being sold, and in package sets. Get your hands on as much red food coloring as you can, gel or old-fashioned drops, because turning chocolate batter red is a big task.
After you get the batter as red as you like, stir in flour, turn it out into the pan, and drizzle with melted chocolate chips to create the swirling. I gave detailed instructions on how to make the easy swirled pattern in the recipe card below.
It’s challenging to determine when any kind of dark-colored food is done, and red and brown food is some of the hardest. I baked for 28 minutes. I recommend 28 to 30 minutes, or until the top is set and isn’t glossy. The chocolate swirls will be glossy, but not the batter.
Can I Double This Recipe?
You likely can, although I haven’t made a double batch of these red velvet brownies before. I imagine you’d simply need to double all the ingredients and bake the brownies in a 9×13-inch pan.
Can I Omit the Food Coloring?
Yes, although your red velvet brownies won’t have the same color as mine. But you’d still wind up with a batch of amazing chocolate-swirled fudge brownies!
Can I Make These Gluten-Free?
I’ve only made these red velvet brownies as instructed in the recipe card below, so I can’t say for certain if / how to make this a gluten-free recipe. If you give it a go, please let me know how the brownies turn out!
Can I Swirl a Different Type of Chocolate on Top?
I don’t see why not! I used semi-sweet chocolate because I prefer richer brownies, but you could also use white chocolate or milk chocolate.
Can I Add a Cheesecake Swirl Instead?
If you’re craving cream cheese-swirled red velvet brownies, I recommend making my Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies instead. I’ve tested that recipe multiple times and know that the cheesecake swirl works.
How to Store Red Velvet Brownies
These chocolate-swirled red velvet brownies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Note that the brownies need to cool completely before being stored in a container. If you put the brownies in Tupperware before they’ve cooled completely, condensation will form in the container and will affect the texture of the brownies.
Tips for the Best Red Velvet Brownies
A few things to note when making these easy cocoa powder brownies:
- First, be sure to wait a minute or two before adding the egg to the melted butter. If you add the egg to hot melted butter, you’ll wind up with scrambled egg.
- Second, once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, you want to mix the batter just until everything is incorporated. If you over mix the brownie batter, you’ll wind up with dense, cakey brownies.
- Lastly, these red velvet brownies remind me of the Gingerbread Molasses Chocolate Chip Bars I made before Christmas and a longer cooling period is preferred. I urge you to allow them to cool in the pan for at least a few hours, or overnight. It’ll give the chocolate a chance to set up fully and for the bars to just rest so slicing is a neater job.
You’ll be rewarded with bars that are soft in the interior, with slightly firmer and chewier edges, and you’ll just want to sink your teeth into them.
Pin This Recipe
Chocolate-Swirled Red Velvet Brownie Bars
These easy red velvet brownies are topped with an abundance of chocolate and are velvety soft and smooth! They don't call it red velvet for nothing!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2 vials red food coloring, or as needed (I used 2 red Betty Crocker gel food coloring vials)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth.
- Add the red food coloring and whisk to incorporate. Keep adding until desired shade is obtained.
- Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula; set aside.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl melt the chocolate chips, about 1 minute on high power. Stop to check and stir. Heat in 10-second bursts until chocolate can be stirred smooth.
- Drizzle the chocolate over the pan and swirl lightly with the tip of a table knife or a toothpick. To create the pattern shown, drizzle chocolate over batter in 5 wide, evenly spaced, parallel lines, each spanning the length of the pan. Like 5 rows of long train tracks. Rotate pan 90-degrees. With a toothpick, starting at the top of the pan, “draw” 5 evenly spaced lines through the chocolate. You’re dragging the toothpick perpendicularly through the first set of lines to create the swirling.
- Bake for about 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving; however, for optimal results, cool overnight so the chocolate has a chance to fully set up fully.
Notes
- I used 2 vials of red food coloring. I had to buy two sets of gel food coloring (red, blue, green, yellow) for the two reds I needed. Use any type of food coloring you like; you’ll need a lot of it because it takes a lot to turn a chocolaty batter red.
- Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 273Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 31mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 3g
More Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes:
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting — Extremely popular with readers and so many positive comments about these easy, no-mixer cupcakes.
Easy Chocolate Pots de Creme – No-bake, no-cook, and made in a blender in 5 minutes!! The PERFECT dessert! Rich, decadent, a chocolate lover’s dream, perfect for special occasions, and guaranteed to impress!!
Red Velvet Poke Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — The cake is fast, easy, and it’s a poke cake so it’s automatically super soft and moist.
Soft Frosted Valentine’s Heart Cookies — These easy cookies are soft, chewy, dense, made in one bowl, and you don’t have to roll them out.
Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies — These chocolate chip red velvet cookies have a secret ingredient — cake mix! These cookies are super ooey gooey and ultra rich!
Valentine’s Day Vanilla Pudding Sugar Cookie Bars – A sugar cookie crust topped with creamy vanilla pudding, whipped topping, and sprinkles!! A luscious and EASY Valentine’s Day dessert that will put everyone in festive spirits!!
The Best and Easiest Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes — One bowl, no mixer, so easy! The warm, gooey, fudgy chocolate lava cake center is heavenly! Better than any restaurant versions! Best chocolate cake EVER!!
Valentine’s Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars – Sugar cookie bars are so much FASTER AND EASIER than making sugar cookies!! The sprinkles and tangy cream cheese frosting help to make the bars a PERFECT Valentine’s Day treat!!
What an amazing recipe, to surprise my kids I will make these brownie and flourish it with Magic Sparkles edible glitter
Hope they enjoy the fun sprinkles!
You, who made this is a genious and I love you <3
Wow. Just wow.
I usually am not a big fan of red velvet but I just made these for my sister and I have to restrain myself from eating the entire batch they were so good.
(Btw I made a double batch and baked it in a 9 by 13 inch pan for 30 minutes and they came out beautifully)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out so great for you that you had to exercise some serious willpower! And good news on the double batch in a 9×13!
I’m really looking forward to making these! I just had a question regarding how you store the bars overnight to rest? Do you leave them in the pan and cover them with foil? Or leave them in the pan without being covered?
Cover once the chocolate sets (not before or you’ll make it look messy).
Hi Avery,
These photos have surely brought out the sunshine on my day! I am just aching to bite into them!
My tiny problem is that I am vegetarian and don’t eat egg. I generally use substitutes like yogurt, flax seeds, bananas…But the texture of these little nuggets of joy seem like they are tied to precise proportions.
Could you plssssss recommend the right egg substitute for this recipe?
Love!
Vasudha
Please read over the Baking and Recipe FAQs https://www.averiecooks.com/faq for answers to the most common questions.
I need to make this in a 9×13 dish, how do I adjust the recipe? Thanks.
Haven’t personally tried but usually doubling the recipe works well going from 8×8 to 9×13. Haven’t tested it with this one firsthand though.
They look delicious!
I thought red food coloring was bitter unless you bought one specifically labeled “No Taste”. I made a cake entirely covered in red roses once= disaster! The bright red gel Wilton colors (what I have available) are all bitter! The “No Taste” is duller by comparison. Also, aren’t red dyes made with cochineal extract? I’m not the food police, but I’m starting to be more careful about some things.
http://www.ajc.com/news/lifestyles/health/campaign-to-rid-foods-of-red-dye-made-from-bugs-is/nbRDS/
I have used a hodge podge of red food coloring over the years from McCormick to storebrands to whatever is on sale and I haven’t noticed any issues with bitterness personally.
So, I didn’t see anything in the comments, but these loom really delicious and I think I’m up to the challenge of making them. I love traditional red velvet cake so even without the cream cheese frosting, I’m wondering would white chocolate work
White chocolate would definitely work; would have a totally different overall flavor b/c of the white vs. dark chocolate but it would look gorgeous!! LMK if you try!
I made these last night! Although they did come out tasty they didn’t come out like a bar. More or a cake. Not sure where I went wrong with the directions. Maybe a bit too much flour??? Anyway. I did enjoy them.
It could be the cocoa you used, or it could have been over-flouring, although over-flouring tends to make things denser, not cakier. I find that some brands of cocoa make things very airy and light and possibly even cakier. Also overbaking can do it. It’s my basic blondie recipe that I’ve literally adapted 50 times with other desserts/bars/blondies so I’m not exactly quite sure what happened with yours. Glad they tasted good still!
Those photos make me want to dive into my screen! I have guests over tomorrow night and a million chores to do as I’m also leaving on holiday soon. As a baking lover, I hated the thought of having to buy dessert …. am so glad I found this recipe (and your blog!), will give this a shot early tomorrow morning and I’ll let you know how it turns out!
These bars were one of the best things I made all 2013 (well I made them during the 2013 holiday baking season). They were seriously amazing and I hope you get a chance to try them! Please keep me posted how it goes!
The color turned out amazing – although they aren’t technically red velvet b/c red velvet flavor is buttermilk and vinegar with a mild cocoa flavor. Good call on the gel color
Glad you like them!
can I substitute it with other colors(purple)? But I tried And like it, Averie
I’m sure you could although I haven’t personally tried it.
When you pour the melted chocolate on top of the batter, isnt there a chance that it will seep through and you wont get that chocolate swirl on top?
Pour it slowly, gently, and carefully, and you’ll be fine.
So looking forward to try this recipe!!! But before that is it okay if i used BC red velvet cake mix instead of preparing one??will it give the same result??
No you will not get the same results, at all, with a boxed mix.
I just adore how swirly and pretty these are, Averie! Happy Valentine’s Day to you- I hope it’s sweet :) xoxo= K
I’m glad these are the typical cakey red velvet… I’m all about the fudgy brownies. But the color of these is GORGeous!!! Loving the chocolate swirl on top too Averie. Perfect for valentines day. Pinned these bad boys and making for my sweeties {hubbie and little 21 month old son :)}
Thanks for pinning! And just to clarify these are pretty darn fudgy and there’s zero cakiness to them!
whoops.. forgot to add the “nt” on the “are”. I met to say, glad that “aren’t” the cakey red velvet, I’m all about the fudgy which is why I love these. Your gorgeous photos mesmerized me and I miss typed!!! See what you do to me. :) hehe Thanks Averie! Have a great night!
Like so many have said before these look absolutely amazing. I especially like the picture of the nine squares. Good job there.
Um. can we say yum?? I made these bars, not as red velvet but as plain brownies. Or more like incredibly rich, dense, chocolate-swirled heaven brownies. Their flavor and texture reminded me of the amazing rich brownies from a bakery that used to be around when I was a child, which my mother would buy as special treats for us! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe & glad you loved it!
So….I decided to try this today and it didn’t really work. After adding three whole bottles of red food colouring to the batter it still wasn’t enough to turn the dark brown batter red, which is a shame. Presumably there are types of food colouring that work better than others, but once you add the cocoa powder the whole mix turns incredibly dark. Was this the case when you did it, or can you get cocoa powder which is of a lighter shade of brown?
I used gel food coloring which is more intense then other types. You need a lot as I indicated in the recipe. All cocoa powder varies in color. I used the lightest one I have which is from Trader Joe’s. I find that other brands, Hershey, Ghirardelli, etc are all darker.
Try red velvet emulsion. Works wonders for achieving red color without the taste of food coloring.
If you use food colour paste instead of gel you get that deep red colour without having to use as much colouring, using the end of a tea spoon as a spatula you only need two small blobs and the mixture will be wonderfully red with paste.
I used gel for these and used 2 tubes. It does take A LOT to get a really vibrant bright red shade like these, but you could probably use much less if you didn’t want it to be bright red. I agree though, gel vs other types, night and day in terms of intensity of the pigmentation.
These are so perfect for Valentine’s Day! I will definitely try this recipe out. Just wondering, how would i modify this recipe to fit a 9×11 pan? Any tips would be greatly appreciated :)
*9X13 whoops
I’ve never really baked anything before but I saw these and am going to give them a go. For the butter, approximately how many grams is a stick? (Butter in the UK doesn’t come in sticks). And what is the volume of the cups you are using?
Thanks!
1 stick of butter is 1/2 cup. There are lots of online baking conversion site (just type that in) and it will all pop right up with google.
This may be a silly question but if I don’t have a 8 inch square pan but have an 8×14 inch retangular pan, about how much more of each ingredient would I use so I don’t lose out on anything! I’m so excited to make these! Thanks so much for your help!
I’ve never tried baking the recipe in that size but it sounds like nearly doubled of my pan size. You may just want to try doubling the recipe but I have not tested it this way, nor have I tested doubling the recipe and how that effects baking time, etc.
These will be perfect for my husband and his battle buddies!
I want to bake my favorite soldier something nice for saint Valentine’s Day.
These brownies look absolutely amazing. However, when I look at the pix, I wonder about how they set up. Does all the red dye move to the top during the baking? Please let me know. I’d like to bake these up for a special V-Day treat. Thank you.
No the red food coloring doesn’t shift. Once it’s in the batter, as long as you’ve stirred it evenly, it stays even during baking. Now some areas right next to the chocolate may appear or change color slightly since it’s right next to huge rivers of melted chocolate!
My husband just loves red velvet :) these look seriously divine! Thanks for the recipe :)
Thank you for ALL The comments today, Brandy!! You’re amazing. Thank you :)
These look perfect, right up my alley! Making these this weekend!!!!!!
LMK how it goes!
Longtime reader-first time commenter, I’ve made a ton of your desserts and absolutely loved them all. What I want to know is- how in the heck did you get that entire thing out of the pan without crumbling or breaking it? :0
I line my pans with aluminum foil ALWAYS which I instruct in the recipe. So I just lift it out by the foil, slide the foil out from the bottom, voila. Plus your pan is totally clean too! Thanks for being a longtime supporter & trying the recipes!
Mmmm, these are perfect. They look so dense and enticing! Beautiful. And so easy. Winning combination. Love these, Averie. Have a great weekend!
These puppies look so heavenly! What a perfect Valentine’s day treat.
they’re looking so yummy and red and delicious :P
These are so perfectly red and fudge-y looking! And I love the chocolate drizzle over the top! Pinned for sure!
Thanks, Jocelyn!
So fun! Love how you swirled them. Perfect for Valentine’s.
You may be my brownie guru. I am always looking for new recipes and tips on how to get that perfect brownie. I loved what you wrote and can’t decide which of your recipes to make for the big game day. I agree, keeping the brownies overnight to cool, has them just right and easy to cut in the morning. I think twenty eight minutes in an eight by eight pan usually does the trick. And, a parchment paper lining is very helpful. I’ll be back with an update (and for more recipes)!
Glad you like what you see & LMK what you make!
How perfect do these look?! I’ve only had red velvet cupcakes but I’m sure the brownie version is a million times better.
So much more dense and not cakey…I loved these babies :)
These brownies look FANTASTIC and sooooo pretty!
That red velvet swirl is perfect, these are perfect for Valentine’s!
I love how these are actually red! Definitely perfect for Valentine’s Day :)
2 vials of food coloring, yes indeed!
You’re not kidding when you say these have a dense, fudgy texture, Averie. The photos say it all – these are gorgeous! I’m loving the vibrant red of your red velvet and the beautiful contrast with the chocolate swirls. Fuggedabout Valentines Day – I could eat these all year round.
LOVE the vibrant colors here!!! That chocolate swirl looks so decadent, definitely takes the brownies over the top! I love that you did a chocolate swirl instead of the standard cream cheese swirl, it’s a nice, intriguing twist :)
xo Lindsay
Cream cheese and red velvet is so…cliche I guess. I wanted that BOLD pop of chocolate. Thanks for noticing I didn’t go the standard route :)
Oh wow, these look ridiculously good! I love all things red velvet, especially around Valentine’s Day!
We are huge brownie lovers over here in my home! These look really fun… so colorful and decadent! I’ve never tried the BC food gel– yet. Can’t wait to make a batch of these!
Thanks, Gloria! Just repinned your choc-covered banana donuts. They look so good :)
How beautiful! I love love love the chocolate swirls in there. Great valentine’s idea!
Oh my. I HAVE to try this! So pretty!
anything to do with red velvet is good with me! these look so lovely!
I don’t even know where to begin!!! These are just AMAAAAAZING. I mean, your photos! And this recipe! Please, send some this way :)
Thanks for all the sweet compliments :)
looks like a valentines must!
Now these are stunning images & AMAZING looking brownies Averie. I pinned them before I knew they were yours & now pinned again!
Thanks for the repeat pins :) And for the photography compliments. That means a TON coming from you!! And some shoots everything works. The food, lighting, styling, and it just works. I had like a zillion images to choose from. And other shoots, well, you know. Nothing works, like, at all.
Gorgeous!
These look stunning Averie, great idea, going straight on my to-try list.
Hi Averie! These look amaaaazing, and I’m definitely adding these to the long list of recipes I want to make from your blog! I was wondering if it would be possible to make these cream cheese swirled? I think it would at a really interesting authenticity, but I don’t know!
Ps Your pictures are absolutely STUNNING
I’m sure you could do a cream cheese swirl but because I havent tested it, I don’t know the amount to use, how much sugar to use, if you’d need an egg in it so it, etc. LMK how it goes!
Holy cow, these brownies are GORGEOUS! May be the best looking brownies I’ve ever seen!
Well that’s an incredibly high honor and compliment. Thank you!
Yay, this post is making me so excited about Valentine’s Day! These bars are so gorgeous, too pretty to eat!
Hi
I like your site.
I am wondering why you only show
sooo many,
even if beautiful, finished
results rather than a few more
making stages. Like the tan color
when should be taken out of oven.
Like the cutting.
You get the idea.
It is interesting helpful and fun to see stages.
Thanks
Your photos are lovely.
Sometimes there is very little to ‘show’ in a stage. i.e. How to cut bars into 9 squares, how to see if something is done (in this case the bars are the same color red coming out of the oven as you see them here). On this type of thing I don’t bother taking photos because it’s very time consuming to stop, start, take a pic, stop, start, take a pic. Repeat. And then sort, edit, and post them all.
I save the process shots for recipes where they truly will be of great benefit. Such as this post last week https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/01/one-hour-chocolate-and-cinnamon-sugar-soft-pretzel-bites.html In about 50% of my recipes I show some sort of process shot(s). Check my archives and you’ll see!
Gorgeous Averie! Perfect for Valentines day, and well, any day :).
And thanks for pinning :)
I’m kind of in love with that overhead shot Averie. So gorgeous! I love the swirled chocolate on top – it looks so fudgy on the bar shots. And that color – spot on! Pinned and shared on FB :) Hope you’re having a great week girl!
Thanks for pinning to BHG, too! You are so sweet! And for sharing!
And thanks for the compliments on the overhead. Lots of ppl have mentioned that one. Maybe I should have used it as my leadoff!
Oh yum!! That think coating of chocolate looks out of this world! All I need is a glass of milk, some wary fuzzy slippers, and a fire on this super cold evening and I’ll be set :)
Red velvet fever is one illness I don’t mind catching! This recipe looks crazy good. Thanks for sharing!
The color in these is absolutely jaw dropping. Wow. And those swirls … going round and round and round … your photos have hypnotic powers! :) Love how thick and fudgy and pretty they are! Pinning!
Thanks for the compliments & the pin!
These are beautiful and I’m sure they are delicious, too!!
Drop dead gorgeous Red Velvet Brownies, Averie! I’m really digging that intense red and chocolate swirl. Your photography and simple but stark styling is divine here! The imagery makes the heart skip a beat. Truly. Thanks for sharing, girl. Will pin to multiple group boards at Pinterest! xo
Thanks for all the sweet compliments & the group pins! So appreciated :)
the color of these is so enticing!
Your bars are cut so perfectly! They look amazingly delicious!!
I’ve done it once or twice, but thanks for noticing :)
Oh Av, I have on my list to do a red velvet brownie.
You beat me to it.
I don’t want to do chocolate swirl though, thinking about something else.
Yours came out so pretty, that color, oh that color.
You need to see what I did with the sweet pepper relish we both love…on the blog now.
Have a good night lovee!
Well I can’t wait to see what you come up with for RV brownies when you try!
They are truly beautiful. This might tempt me into the kitchen to cook and listen to the #SOTU tonight. I hope they turn out as pretty. I have an event to take them to. If I screw up, just send me these. GREG
Oh is that on? Or happening? God I am so out of The State of anything, but I can tell you what at least 25 bloggers made today and what’s trending on Pinterest :)
And they’re impossible to screw up! A one-bowl, no-mixer creation. My fave kind of recipe!
These are just so beautiful! I love that vibrant RED color! And the chocolate swirls on top make me want to dive right in! Yum
Oh my GOSSSH these look good and I love that they’re a little bit thinner than you’re average brownie! Also way to make such perfectly sliced squares, that’s some precision there! Pinned!!
Yeah I’ve cut one or ten thousand pans of bars in my day so I’ve learned a few tricks :) And yes they’re a little thinner and I loved that about them. Thanks for noticing!
These are gorgeous Averie! And they sound so delicious!
Those are just popping off the page — er, screen. Lovely shots.
Averie, these are so pretty!! I love the colour!
I usually don’t gravitate toward red velvet – it’s not that I don’t like it, but it’s usually not my first pick because in my world chocolate trumps all. BUT! That being said, you’ve once again inspired me to go out of the ordinary and make these red velvet brownies. I was drooling over them as I looked at all the pictures, which I usually never do over red velvet.
Thanks Averie for keeping us inspired and excited to do different things in the kitchen! xo
Well that’s great! Keep me posted how they go!
That looks amazing Averie! Fantastic job :)
Hey Eric your comments keep getting caught by my spam folder because you’re inserting the link. Just letting you know what’s happening!
Red brownies are so much better than red velvet cake! They aren’t really brownies or blondies, maybe redheads? ;)
I love that they are SO red too. I can imagine, if I were into cutesy mom-ike things, making these and using heart-shaped cookie cutters for V-day.
Heart shaped cut outs would be great! And yes red velvet needs to be RED so I made it pretty red :)
Oh my goodness, these sound incredible! They are so eye-catching too! Pinning for Valentine’s Day!
Thanks for the compliments & pinning!
These are BEAUTIFUL, Averie! Love the chocolate swirls on top. I’ve always been intimidated to make red velvet anything because of the amount of food coloring needed, but these have convinced me that I need to give it a try. YUM!
I used to feel the same way until very recently and while it IS weird yes I still think so, I guess I’ve gotten over it and didnt have any issue scarfing a few of these :)
Oooh these look amazing! The contrast between the red velvet and chocolate swirl is really striking, as are the photos! These look really delicious, and are a nice change from the usual red velvet treats we see this time of year!
Thanks for the compliments!
Another masterpiece from you, Averie! Excellent looking bars. I love the contrast between red and brown chocolate. Yum….
Oh my goodness, I’m so hungry now! Absolutely love the way these look in your photos and so perfect for Valentine’s day! Thanks for sharing the idea.
that red just posts out against the chocolate color! Oh these look and sound divine. A perfect rich silky but easy treat for upcoming Vday!
How can I look at these and not want to run to the kitchen to go make them myself?! It’s impossible! These red velvet brownies are beautiful Averie. I never really realized how much I loved red velvet until last year. Especially with some semi-sweet chocolate. They look so fudgy and dense, not at all cakey. Perfect Vday treat!
I was never that into it either, Sally, but gave in to blog crazes the past year and am so glad I did!
Oh my heck these are fabulous. So pretty and even though I’m not a huge red velvet fan (I KNOW) I want to eat the entire pan because I know I’d like THESE. And girl, you are a pro at the swirl. I try it and it just looks a mess! I need to take lessons from you. :)
I was never that into it either, but gave in to blog crazes the past year, and well, I’ve been converted! Swirling. Okay I’ll help you with that as long as you help me make a cake roll! Yours are always PEFECT!
I had the same problem finding gel red food coloring. Had to buy sets to have enough. Ugh!
These bars look amazing, Averie! I love the rippled surface and the chocolate swirl! Pinning!
Thanks for the pin and yes, the sets. Omg I have like 4 sets now of G, Y, B for with no reds. I need to start ordering it online. I’m glad to hear though that I’m not the only one who goes through this random little problem :)
Averie, I find myself leaning in closer and closer to the screen as I read this! These lovely bars are putting a spell on me. Must be the magic of Valentine’s Day :) I find that red velvet always just needs a titch more chocolate to suit my chocoholic tendencies, so I love the extra swirl of chocolate oompth these bars have. Gorgeous!
I tweaked these JUST enough (same with the scratch cupcake recipe I have) so that it’s a tad choclaty-ier than most red velvet. Otherwise it’s just a blondie with a ton of food coloring, right :) Need that cocoa boost!
I love red velvet brownies, and yours look so perfect — beautiful color and swirls!
These photos are stunning. I love that dark red color on the light white broad. They make these bars really POP! And my gosh, you make the most perfect swirls. These are a true beauty and they are perfect for Valentines day!
Love them Averie! Pinned of course!
Thanks for the pin & the photo compliments! I was really happy with the way the images turned out. Sometimes you just never know til you load that memory stick in your computer and pray you got what you needed :)
Averie, these have made a dull day at work instantly brighter! Wow! Love love love these!! Cannot wait to make them! So simple but striking. Congrats on yet another great recipe! :) I love how you don’t turn to cake mixes for everything- and let’s be honest your photography is INSANELY GOOD! Sometimes it’s as if I can taste the treats ;)
Thanks for the compliments on my recipe and my photography! :)
These are stunning! I love that they are fudgy rather than cakey.
Oh Averie, I drooling over these brownie bars! They are just beautiful!
These are stunning!!!
I love that we’re both on the red velvet page today! Gorgeous brownies :)
Averie, these bars are gorgeous. I love the swirled chocolate mixed with the vibrant red of the velvet cake. They’re perfect for Valentine’s. Pinned.
thanks for pinning, Jennie!
I love our rich that red velvet color is in your bars. So beautiful!
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I’d have a hard time choosing between a brownie or a piece of red velvet cake so this recipe is truly the best of both worlds for me! You are so good at mixing components/elements of different sweets and coming up with something new. The red swirls look vibrant–you achieved great color with these!
I love making two-for-one and combination desserts :)
These are absolutely striking! The contrast of the chocolate atop the red velvet? GAH!! So pretty. What a perfect way to showcase red velvet. And your second photo? NO WORDS.
Thank you! I was really pleased with the images too! I always like hearing what ppl’s favorites are and I loved image #2 too. I just usually start my posts off with a stacked bar shot so went wit that, but it was close. I almost went with your pick :)
Please get me something to wipe the drool from my lips! Your pictures are beautiful! I also love how you add the recipes at the end that are related to the main recipe. I bake gluten-free and quite honestly I have not made to many recipes but the pictures are worth the visiting here alone! Thank you for a beautiful blog.
Thanks for all the compliments, Janet! Most of my recipes for bars and cookies are easy swaps for an all-purpose GF flour blend, i.e. Bob’s or your favorite blend. These bars would adapt incredibly easy in case you want to try them. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks Averie! Good news for me :) Have a good evening!
So I am not a huge fan of red velvet, but these are making me think I may have to change my mind! The brownie, the thick chocolate swirls on top?! Those are calling my name. These are absolutely gorgeous Averie and I love how simple but bold these pictures are at the same time, if that even makes sense!
simple but bold, yes, totally makes sense and I was kind of trying to go for that. There was nothing I could ‘do’ to them to make them anything more than what they were. So red, so many swirls, so I just tried to keep things VERY simple and play on the colors, texture, and light. Thanks for noticing :)
These look wonderful! So dense and fudge, perfect brownies! :)