Red Velvet Brownie Cups

Name: Red Velvet Brownie Cups
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 box red velvet cake mix (dry); 1 stick butter (melted); 1 large egg (beaten); ¼ cup water; ¼ cup sour cream

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Red Velvet Brownie Cups are a delicious bite sized dessert for any occasion. Baked in muffin tins creating the perfect edible cup waiting to be filled with your favorite toppings like ice cream, cream cheese icing, and fresh whipped cream. Topping choices are endless!

Red Velvet Brownie cups with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream topped with heart sprinkles making them the perfect Valentine's Day dessert.

Why you’ll love this recipe
5 Simple Ingredients
How to make red velvet brownie cups
Topping variations
How to serve
FAQ's
Tips
More delicious dessert to try

Red Velvet Cake is my speciality, especially at the holiday's. It's a family favorite and a tradition at our house. I guess you can say we are all Red Velvet fans around here.

Plus we LOVE brownies and I do not say this lightly. So I set out to make a really easy "brownie meets red velvet cake" option. I thought I would give a cake mix a go. It worked making this sweet treat the most perfect, EASY, and I have to say heavenly combination!

Why you’ll love this recipe

It's simple - You take a convenience item like a cake mix and add decadent ingredients to make it delicious.
5 ingredients - In addition to the cake mix you only need 4 other items to make the brownie cups.
Versatile - By changing up the toppings you can create so many different combinations or holiday/celebration themed cups!
Makes everyone feel special! These scrumptious individual desserts are always a hit and everyone feels so special with a little dessert of their own.

5 Simple Ingredients

Image of ingredients to make red velvet brownie cups.

Red Velvet Cake Dry Mix (I use Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist)
Water
Melted Butter
Sour Cream
Beaten Egg

How to make red velvet brownie cups

✱ Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact ingredients and instructions!

Collage image of steps to make red velvet brownie cups.

All you need is one bowl - add all the ingredients in and give it a stir. My favorite way to mix is with a fork. It allows you to easily break up any lumps of dry cake mix. However, you can also use a spatula or a whisk (I love this OXO Whisk.
Mix until it is just combined. You don't want to over beat the batter or it will become tough and it tends to dry out.
Spray your muffin tin well with a baking spray. That is one with flour in it. You can also use paper liners too.
Bake until just done (when a wooden pick is inserted comes out with a few crumbs on it).
When you remove from the oven take a measuring spoon or something like a small pastry rolling pin and press on the brownie while it is warm to make an indention.
Then let them completely cool in pan. Once cooled take a knife or offset spatula and go around the edges to loosen. Remove from pan and serve.

Brownie Cups out of oven. Press with measuring spoon back to create the cup.

Topping variations

Fun toppings add all the festivity and fun into these individual desserts! These are good for all occasions. So just remember you can change up the toppings, sprinkles, and candies to match your holiday or celebration.

Top with ice cream, fresh whipped cream, and sprinkles or candies.
Fill with cream cheese icing and a sprinkle of nuts or fruit.
Chocolate ganache filling would be divine in these!
A no bake cheesecake filling would be a delicious add in. Top with any type of fruit. You can even find it in the premade dairy section of your grocery store if you need a super simple filling. It's made by Philadelphia Cream Cheese it's in a tub near refrigerated Jello Pudding in my store.
Place a mini candy bar, Reese Peanut Butter Cup, Rolo in the middle while they are warm and they will melt down a little. Then drizzle with caramel or chocolate.
Add your favorite icing and sprinkle with M & M's or chocolate chips.
Decorate these for your Valentine's Day dessert with all the X's, O's and hearts or Christmas decked in red and green! St Patrick's day use a green velvet cake mix and shamrocks galore.
You can try any cake mix and make a birthday theme or use pink or blue cake mix for a gender reveal party. The options are endless!

How to serve

These look beautiful on a single or tiered tray. You can make them all alike or serve with a variety of toppings.
It's fun to make a red velvet brownie cup bar. Serve the cup with bowls, all the fixings displayed, and let everyone make their own creation.
Serve them in a pretty dish Ice Cream Sundae Style (you can use any ice cream flavor you like) I like mine with chocolate ice cream!

Red Velvet Brownie Cup sundae with chocolate ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream and drizzle of chocolate syrup and topped off with pecans and a cherry.

FAQ's

Can you freeze brownie cups?

Yes, these freeze well. Once completely cooled you can place them in a freezer zip bag or freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them on a flat surface for at least 30 minutes. Then arrange them however fits best into your freezer in the ziplock bag or container. Remember to label and date them as well!

To thaw remove from freezer and thaw at room temperature. The nice thing about these individual brownie cups is you can take out as many as you would like at a time.

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How to store red velvet brownie cups?

Store in a Ziplock bag or in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.

How to keep brownie cups from sticking to the pan?

Use a nonstick pan.

Use a baking spray that has flour in it to grease your muffin tin.

Make sure they are baked all the way. If the batter is still raw it will be more likely to stick or not come away easily.

Let them cool completely.

Use paper liners if you want a super easy solution to keep them from sticking.

Can I make red velvet brownie bites with this recipe?

Yes! Just fill mini muffin tins about half way full and bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Now you have delicious red velvet brownie bites. They can be enjoyed as is or with icing or whipped cream.

Red Velvet Brownie Cups on a cooling rack with a white and red striped tea towel underneath.

Tips

Prepare muffin tin - Make sure to spray your muffin tin well with baking spray or line with paper liners.
Let cool completely before removing from pan if not using a paper liner. This will keep it from sticking to the pan.
Run a knife around edges to loosen before removing will also help to easily remove from muffin pan.
To make cup indention - Just after removing from the oven use a 2 tablespoon measuring spoon or something round to press down brownie to create your cup. The brownie being hot will help it set.
Don't store in the refrigerator - I don't recommend storing in the refrigerator as this may dry them out! Store at room temperature or freeze until ready to use. Once ready to use place toppings on them and enjoy.
Get creative and have fun with toppings!

More delicious dessert to try

You can help fight Kids' Cancer, too!

Since it is the season for love, I am excited to join other food bloggers for a Valentine event to raise money and awareness about pediatric cancer. What better way to spread some love this year - a Valentine's Day Dessert to support such a worthwhile cause!

The National Cancer Institute’s budget for childhood cancer is less than 4%. It’s such a small number and that’s why I got involved. And with the ongoing pandemic, children are still being diagnosed with cancer.

These three companies: OXO, Mediavine amd Dixie Crystals have each pledged to match our donations raised through this campaign up to $3000!

That means when we raise $1, it turns into $4! Please help us reach our goal so we can get the full matching donations and help us make an even bigger difference!

Will you help us with a donation today? Every little bit helps! Donate here until March 1, 2021.