Healthier Red Velvet Brownies
These red velvet brownies have the same sweet, rich, buttery flavor as classic red velvet cake, yet they’re really moist and chewy with the perfect fudge-like brownie texture. Chocolate chips and a little extra cocoa in the batter amplify the chocolate notes, creating an irresistible combination in these fun dessert bars. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day — or any day you’re craving dessert! They’ll keep for at least 5 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp butter extract (see Notes!)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 tsp liquid red food coloring (see Notes!)
- 1 (111g) single-serving container unsweetened applesauce, room temperature (the equivalent of 7 tbsp + ½ tsp – see Notes!)
- ¾ cup (144g) coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp (15mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk, room temperature
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (135g) oat flour (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
- 6 tbsp (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the butter or coconut oil, vanilla extract, butter extract, and salt. Stir in the red food coloring. Stir in the unsweetened applesauce. Stir in the coconut sugar. Stir in the milk. Pour in the oat flour and cocoa powder, and sprinkle the baking powder over the top (to prevent it from clumping!). Stir in the oat flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder all at the same time until just incorporated. Stir in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips on top. Bake at 300°F for 16-20 minutes (16 minutes for the fudgiest and most gooey brownies, 20 minutes for firmer brownies). Cool completely to room temperature in the pan. Once they’ve reached room temperature, refrigerate the brownies for 24 hours for the best taste and texture before slicing and serving. (See Notes!)
Notes
IMPORTANT – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Be very careful to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much oat flour and cocoa powder in the brownie batter will make your brownies dry and crumbly, rather than chewy and fudgy. Too much cocoa powder can also mask the red velvet flavor and make your brownies taste bitter, rather than rich and buttery.
OAT FLOUR NOTES: I really like Bob’s Red Mill’s oat flour (and their gluten-free version!). I also show you how to make your own here.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour can all be substituted for the oat flour.
COCOA POWDER NOTE: I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder for the regular unsweetened cocoa powder (← this kind). Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level, which can affect the taste and texture of your brownies.
BUTTER / OIL NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Any neutral-tasting oil may be substituted for the unsalted butter or coconut oil. Stick-style vegan butter (I like Earth Balance) will also work.
APPLESAUCE NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: To make life as easy as possible for you, I designed this recipe to use exactly one single-serving container of unsweetened applesauce (like this!). That’s why the tablespoon + teaspoon measurement is so weird! If you only have sweetened applesauce, that will also work.
I used applesauce because it (a) has a neutral flavor that’s completely undetectable in these brownies and (b) is really easy to find in grocery stores in the US. If applesauce isn’t sold in stores near you, then I’d recommend substituting ½ cup (122g) pumpkin purée. You can also try ½ cup (130g) mashed banana, but because bananas have a much stronger flavor, you’ll detect a fruity banana flavor in your brownies.
BUTTER EXTRACT NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Butter extract is what gives these brownies that classic sweet, rich, buttery red velvet cake flavor. I really like Wilton’s butter extract. It’s typically sold near the vanilla extract on the baking aisle. I’ve also seen it on the wedding-themed aisle at Walmart. (You can use it to make all of these recipes of mine too!)
If you don’t have butter extract, you can substitute additional vanilla, but your brownies won’t taste quite like classic red velvet cake without it.
FOOD COLORING NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Regular liquid red food coloring produces the best color. You can use natural food coloring, but your red velvet brownies will look brown — or mahogany at best. If you don’t have natural food coloring, then just substitute milk or water, but keep in mind that your brownies will definitely be brown if using either of those. See the “Food coloring” section in my blog post above for more information!
I don’t recommend using beets (either roasted and puréed or powdered). Again, see the “Food coloring” section in my blog post above for more information!
COCONUT SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
DAIRY FREE, EGG FREE + VEGAN VERSION: Use the coconut oil option and certified vegan mini chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life.
NUT FREE VERSION: Use the unsalted butter option or stick-style vegan butter. Use soy, oat, or regular dairy milk in place of the unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Use light brown sugar in place of the coconut sugar.
GLUTEN FREE VERSION: Use certified gluten free oat flour (I really like Bob’s Red Mill) or certified gluten free oats (again, I really like Bob’s Red Mill!) to make your own oat flour.
For a non-oat-flour gluten-free option, I recommend the following: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one by Bob’s Red Mill!) will also work, if measured like this.
CLEAN EATING VERSION: Use natural food coloring, milk, or water in place of the red food coloring. (See “Food Coloring Notes + Alternatives” above for more info!)
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE: The brownies are ready to come out of the oven when the edges look firm but the center still looks glossy and underdone. The heat from the pan continues to cook the center while they cool. If the edges of the brownies pull away from the edges of your baking pan within 10 minutes of pulling them out of the oven, then you’ve baked them for long enough!
IMPORTANT CHILLING NOTE: Normally, I instruct you to wait at least 8 hours once your brownies have reached room temperature before slicing and serving for the best texture. However, I found that there was a big difference in flavor after chilling these for a full 24 hours. The flavors melded a lot more, and the sweet, buttery, classic red velvet flavor was much stronger — in a “oh my gosh, this is totally spot-on red velvet!” kind of way.
If you’re too impatient to wait for 24 hours, then you can stick the pan in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours as soon as they’ve reached room temperature for a better flavor, but the red velvet flavor won’t be quite “perfect” until a full day has passed. I know it’s hard to wait that long, but I promise these red velvet brownies are worth it!
{gluten free, dairy free, egg free, vegan, low fat, clean eating option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.