When I first heard about combining red wine and chocolate years ago, I was intrigued. If they're good side by side, they can only be amazing combined together. These Easy Red Wine Brownies are the ultimate red wine chocolate treat. They are so rich and fudgy, and they come together in one bowl in a matter of minutes!
This decadent brownie recipe is great for Valentine's Day or truly any chocolate craving. If you love red wine and chocolate, be sure to check out this Red Wine Flourless Chocolate Cake, Red Wine Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, and Red Wine Chocolate Creme Brulee.
Why this Recipe Works
Red wine and chocolate are a rich and luxurious match made in heaven! Combining them into these easy fudgy Red Wine Brownies is the perfect blend of decadent chocolate with a noticeable, but not overpowering, flavor of the wine.
Ingredients and Notes
Cocoa Powder - Cocoa powder is the chocolate in this simple brownie recipe. Cocoa powder is unsweetened so the sugar adds the sweetness to offset the bitterness of the cocoa powder, but the cocoa powder is responsible for the rich and decadent chocolate flavor.
Red Wine - The wine adds a delicate but delicious touch of flavor that blends perfectly with the fudgy chocolate. Any red wine will work in this chocolate brownie recipe, so use what you like. Especially since the recipe only needs a cup and you'll have the whole rest of the bottle to drink (or to bake other delicious red wine chocolate recipes)! If you prefer a brownie without the booze, check out these Better than Box Mix Brownies.
Vegetable Oil - Oil gives the red wine brownies a rich, fudgy texture along with the fat from the egg yolks and the butter (which also helps contribute to flavor).
Substitutions
Vegetable Oil - Any neutral oil will work for this, so if you don't have vegetable oil, canola or grapeseed oil will work fine too. You can also substitute an additional stick of melted butter in place of the oil.
Butter - Though butter helps give these red wine brownies a rich flavor, in a pinch, an additional half cup of oil can be used instead.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: In a medium mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, wine, butter, and oil until smooth.
Step 2: Stir in the eggs and yolks.
Step 3: Add the sugar and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 4: Add the flour and salt, and stir until just incorporated.
Step 5: Pour batter into a parchment-lined 9x13 pan and bake at 350° for approximately 30 minutes.
Step 6: Cool completely, cut into squares, and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
The fruity flavors of the wine are a perfect balance to the bitterness of the cocoa powder. Though we sweeten the bitterness of the cocoa powder by adding sugar to the batter, the robust wine flavor is perfectly highlighted in this rich dessert.
There are a variety of ways to get that thin shiny crackly top on brownies. These mouthwatering red wine brownies have a thin crackly crust on top due to the sugar content, however for an extra perfect crackly brownie top try stirring in a cup of chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
No, but it does reduce it. We have always heard that alcohol cooks out, and while that is true, it's a bit misleading. It takes longer than most any dessert recipe bakes for to fully cook out the alcohol. The alcohol content will reduce while baking, but we do not bake the recipe anywhere near long enough for the alcohol to fully cook out. However, these luxurious red wine brownies have just a cup of wine in the full batch (that's less than 1 tablespoon of wine per brownie) so though the wine flavor will be prominent, the alcohol content in an individual brownie will be fairly minimal.
Tips & Tricks
Tip #1: It's really important to ensure the sugar is fully mixed in and well combined, because once the flour is added you want to mix the batter as little as possible. Just get the flour incorporated into the batter and no additional mixing. Over-mixing the flour impacts the formation of gluten and can leave you with overly chewy (not in a good way!) brownies.
Tip #2: Two 8x8 baking pans can be used in place of the 9x13 pan. They should bake for about the same amount of time, but I would suggest to start checking them just a few minutes earlier.
Tip #3: To test for doneness, stick a toothpick in the center of the red wine brownies. You want just a very thin layer of batter to come out on the toothpick. The brownies will continue to bake as they cool so if the toothpick comes out clean, as your brownies cool they will continue to bake and be slightly over baked. A thin layer of batter will ensure the fudgiest brownies.
Tip #4: As hard as it is to wait, red wine brownies should be fully cooled before slicing. For even more perfect edges, once cooled, chill the brownies for about 20 minutes before slicing and wipe down the knife between each cut.
Storage Tips
- Red Wine Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
- To store in the freezer, wrap in plastic wrap, then foil, then place into a zip-top freezer bag for 1-2 months.
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Did you try this recipe? Leave a review below, and tag @flourdeliz on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Red Wine Brownies
Equipment
- 9x13 pan see notes
- Mixing bowl
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 stick butter melted
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, wine, butter, and oil.
- Mix in eggs and egg yolks.
- Stir in sugar.
- Add in flour and salt until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the lined pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a very thin layer of batter.
- Let cool and cut into squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated so should only be used as an estimate. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This recipe was originally posted on November 26, 2017, but was republished with new photos, additional information about the recipe, step-by-step instructions, FAQs, and tips and tricks in February of 2023.
Adina says
I need to go buy some wine to make these tonight!
Liz says
You mean you don't just have bottles of Manischewitz around the house?! Let me know what you think!