Red Wine brownies are an incredibly decadent and delicious adults-only dessert! This rich, fudgy brownie recipe is the best way to have your wine and eat it too!!
Not to sound like a raging alcoholic overly excited wine enthusiast, but I love me some wine. I mean, I really love wine. I’ve even looked into opening my own winery, but quickly ruled it out when I realized I’d rather just drink it. And cook with it of course, because wine-flavored food is also good. Especially chocolate. Mmmm… wine and chocolate.
My only problem in cooking with wine is that most people recommend using wine that you enjoy drinking. But it’s wine I enjoy drinking! How can I possibly cook with the wine if I am also busy drinking it? Buying two bottles seems a little excessive, but I suppose for the sake of good food… 😉
I was first inspired to make red wine brownies when I encountered brownies made with powdered red wine skins from my Orange Glad dessert subscription box. I thought it would be even better to make brownies with actual wine, because real wine is always better. I decided to re-hydrate my cranberries in the wine to intensify the wine flavor and give you a nice alcoholic berry burst when you bite down. We only had the pomegranate infused cranberries around so I used those and they were soooo good with the wine. Highly recommend.
Normally, I am not really a nuts-in-brownies kind of gal, but with these red wine brownies, I like the contrast of sweet cranberries and walnuts. If you really want to get into it, I recommend finding chocolate covered nuts. The chocolate melts while baking, of course, but just adds to the extreme fudginess of the brownies, making them much more decadent.
To spare you the agony at the thought of using all your wine in this dessert, rest assured, this recipe only calls for 3/4 cup of red wine. Phew! The rest you can enjoy while you wait for your brownies to finish baking – I promise I won’t tell!
This brownie recipe is perfect for you if you enjoy a really fudgy, chocolate brownie with a crisp, slightly chewy top.
This is basically the perfect brownie for adults. You need to make these brownies.
Tips for baking the BEST red wine brownies:
I used to recommend all full-bodied wines, or any red wine that you love to drink. After a bit more research and experimentation, I realize that it is best to go with sweet reds and dessert wines. They are still amazing with any red wine and I still recommend this recipe to use up any leftover wine you may have around, but for the best experience, go for something sweet.
Many people ask if they can substitute the dried cranberries for other dried fruit. I haven’t tried the recipe with anything besides dried cranberries, but I believe some dried fruits like dried cherries would work really well here. If you want to get a little crazy with it, try dried strawberries and report back on how that tastes!
I’ve also had a few bakers ask if they can omit the fruit and nuts altogether. The answer is yes! I know not everyone enjoys mix-ins in their brownies so feel free to take them out. My only warning is this: if you are taking out the dried fruit, you have to reduce the amount of wine in the brownies because the fruit soaks up and retains some of the wine. Without reducing the amount of wine, the brownie batter will be too liquidy and affect the end texture and baking time. I recommend using just 1/2 cup of wine in the brownies if you are not using the dried fruit.
I know there are a lot of people who can only eat gluten-free. I am not a gluten-free baker. I tend to look to The Bojon Gourmet and Snixy Kitchen for that. I can say that if you use an all-purpose gluten-free flour, you should be able to follow the recipe exactly the same. I have used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour and have never been able to tell the difference from traditional all-purpose flour.
Red Wine Brownies Recipe with Drunken Cranberries
Fudgy red wine brownies... these tasty morsels are the perfect way to indulge that sweet tooth.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (177 mL) red wine
- 1/2 cup (60 g) dried cranberries
- 1 1/4 (156 g) cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup (115 g) salted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 6 oz (180 g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (41 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (63 g) chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the red wine and cranberries together and allow to sit for 30 minutes to an hour or until the cranberries look plump. You can gently heat the wine and cranberries on the stove or in the microwave to speed up the process.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease and flour an 8 by 8 inch pan.
- Mix flour and sea salt in a bowl and set aside.
- In a bowl over boiling water, heat the butter and chocolate until just melted and mixed together.
- Remove the bowl from heat and beat in the eggs one at a time. (If the bowl seems very hot, you may want to let it cool for about 5 minutes before adding the eggs).
- Add the sugar and cocoa powder and mix, then add the flour and mix well.
- Mix in the red wine and cranberries. Fold in walnuts, if using.
- Pour the mixture in the baking pan and bake for about 50 - 55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with only crumbs.
- Allow the brownies to cool in the pan about about 25 - 30 minutes, then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.
Alexa says
This looks AMAZING! And I love me some wine too! Pinned, will be making!
[email protected] says
Wow, delicious!! ♥ I’m going to have to try these.
Payal Bansal says
With those close up pics of Red wine brownies… I am already Droooooooooooling :p
Payal Bansal says
With those close up pics of Red wine brownies… I am already Droooooooooooling :p
Andrea says
Wow … these look and sound sinfully delicious! Pinned.
Hausfrau says
Hi from a fellow wine-lover! I can get good wine very inexpensively where I live, so that’s a really nice perk! I love the sound of this recipe and will be pinning it for sure. Also, your blog name is really cute, and I like your voice!
#SITSblogging
ashley p says
you had me at red wine brownies YUMMY! This is a recipe I will have to try…I am a chocoholic and can’t pass up trying brownie recipes!
Becky Smith says
I loved the line “brownies for adults.” So true. . . . 🙂
SITSblogging
Nancherrow says
I’m not a wine drinker sadly, but I do cook and bake with wine. These look fabulous! Stopping by from #SITSBlogging
Alison
Nancherrow
izzi says
These look amazing!! I can’t wait to make them!!
#sits
Adriana- Hogar-Mujer says
Pinned! I really love this recipe I will make it over the weekend for sure.
Thanks Amanda!
#sitsblogging
Carrie says
This looks AMAZING!! I have a weakness for brownies, especially brownies that have little flour in them so they are super-moist. Pinned this recipe! #SITSblogging
Rachel @ OOGIAH says
Wow what a great idea! And a cool grown up Valentine treat too! I will be trying these!
Rheanna says
are you seriously serious right now? What are you doing this to me, and why did I have to find you!! You have way too many amazing recipes on here, I’m a freaking pinning machine!! omg!!!! LOL
#sitsblogging
amy says
That looks amazing! I will have to share this with my aunts… What woman doesn’t love chocolate and wine? #SITSBlogging
Allison B says
I am making these for my husband’s birthday this weekend. He LOVES chocolate and wine, how cold these not be a huge hit? Thanks for sharing!
The Winey Mom says
Oh wow! These are the perfect brownies for me! Cannot wait to try them!
Deana says
You had me at red wine! Making today! Love the blog- stopping by from #SITSblogging
Angela Gilmore says
These look and sound so delicious! I’ve never used wine in baking but I love cooking with it. I am pinning these for later, thanks for sharing! Stopping by from #SITSBlogging.
Melissa says
I made these (with my own mods) and they are my all time favorite brownies now. I’ve sent the recipe to maybe 50 people. Good lawd they are good. Here are my mods:
I used cherries, not cranberries. I added 2 tablespoons of cognac to the wine/cherry mixture, to increase the intensity of the wine flavor in the fruit. I did heat it all up together to make the cherries really plump up (just did it in a microwave for 2 30 second intervals). I reduced the sugar down to just under 1.25 cups since I like my chocolate anything a little less sweet. After mixing it all together, I was nervous about how liquidy the batter was and added another couple tablespoons of flour, this was probably not needed. If you like your brownies a little more cakey-crumbly, add a couple extra tablespoons of flour with the rest of it, if you want them gooier and fudgier, don’t and don’t worry that the batter looks like you’re going to make a very chocolatey pancake. Oh yeah and I exchanged the nuts for dark chocolate chips because my decadence knows no bounds.
<3 Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Amanda says
Oh yum! These changes sound marvelous. I especially like the addition of the cognac. I like my brownies very fudgy which is why I keep the flour low. I will have to add some chocolate chips to mine the next time I make this. I usually do add chocolate chips, but I was afraid it would be too much. I’m glad to hear its not! I also tried this with different types of dried fruit and it seems to work with them all.
I’ll stop rambling on about brownies now. Thank you again for trying out my recipe and sharing your experiences with it! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Cynthia L says
Oh My! I think I would really love these. I love a good glass of red wine and lately I am a bit crazy about cranberries. Great combination!
Christine says
These look truly delectable- who would have thought you could not only pair chocolate with wine but also put the wine in the chocolate! I love wine, too…we just moved from France to China, and it was one of the saddest parts of the move (besides the whole saying good-bye to friends thing). I’d give these a try though!
Amanda says
What part of France were you in? And what part of China are you in now? I have a few friends around France and loved to visit them. I never had the chance to visit China which is one of my regrets because a friend lived there for a year and taught English there so I had the perfect opportunity to do it.
Zay says
hi can i leave out the red wine in this recipe? or substitute it with something else?
Amanda says
You can replace it with something else (I recommend cranberry juice or cherry juice) with the same exact method as with the wine.
Karla says
A question…. At how many degrees the oven should be to bake the brownies? Thanks!
Amanda says
350 degrees F 🙂
Staci says
my husband loathes nuts….will they still taste good without them??
Amanda says
I think they will still be very good without the nuts – they are only a suggestion to contrast the cranberries!
Tammy says
Looks delicious! Any recommendations for what wine to use?
Amanda says
I don’t have any specific wines that I recommend, but I do think a sweeter wine works best!
Jenna says
Is this 350 degree Fahrenheit or Celsius ??
Amanda says
Fahrenheit – all my recipes are written using American measurements and temperatures except for macarons and some bread recipes which are written by weight!
Melissa says
I am (unfortunately) newly gluten-free, so I’m wondering if you think an even swap of all purpose flour with gluten-free flour would yield similar results. Any insights would be lovely since these sound and look delightful!
Amanda says
Hi Melissa, If you are using a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend (a blend that you can replace equal amounts of AP Flour with GF Flour) you should be fine. I particularly love Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour. I’ve used it for a few recipes on the blog (the gingerbread cake is really good) and it’s turned out amazing!
Melissa says
Thank you! I just bought Bob’s Red Mill and I’m giddy to try these!
Pat Nasco says
Can you use boxed brownie mix
Amanda says
Hi Pat, I’ve never tried it using boxed brownie mix so I honestly cannot say! If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out!
Carolyn says
This looks so good I decided today would be the day to whip up a batch! I monitor a foodie group on Facebook and shared with my everyone! Thanks for the wonderful recipe and clever ideas to incorporate yummy red wine into this browny recipe. I will be making these for my holiday get ttogether, too.
Amanda says
I hope you really enjoy! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment!
Carolyn says
Made them this evening, the recipe was easy to follow, the brownies were nice and fudgy, not too sweet, decadently chocolaty and best of all, liked by my boyfriend who is NOT a wine drinker. I will make these again for the holidays. Thanks again or a great recipe.
Amanda says
I am so glad you enjoyed them. Maybe we can convert your boyfriend one brownie at a time? haha
Jacinta says
Did you mean 50 seconds or 5 minutes, with respect to allowing the hot bowl of chocolate butter to cool?
Amanda says
5 minutes! Thank you for pointing that out!
Dianna says
These look amazing!! Adding them to my Thanksgiving menu. One question – have you tried them using dried cherries? I like the idea of the tartness of cranberries but was wondering about dried cherries instead.
Amanda says
Hi Dianna, I know I already addressed your question, but in case anyone else has the same question, I thought I would answer it again here. I have not made the brownies with dried cherries, but in my experience, I believe they would taste just as amazing!
Dianna says
Very excited about this recipe!!
Shannon says
We are having a work Thanksgiving celebration and I will be making these! All of the girls were crowded around the computer when I mentioned finding this recipe and we are SO excited to try! I’ll report back (we’re going to do this with cherries instead of the cranberries).
Vanae says
Do I HAVE to use cranberries?
Amanda says
No you don’t! Please refer to the tips above the recipe for what to do if you don’t want to use cranberries
Susan White says
I made these and I think the recipe needs some work. They were so gooey they did not cut nicely and took about 10 minutes longer to cook than indicated. I bake all the time, so I know my oven is correct. I question if a 9×9 pan might be better and I question three eggs and 3/4 cups of wine! The batter was so runny. I need to P,any with this recipe. They tasted good, but impossible to cut I tosquares!
Amanda says
Hi Susan, I am so sorry the recipe was not successful for you! It is a very runny batter, almost like crepe batter. The eggs are used as a binding agent, but you are always welcome to either add a few more tablespoons of flour, or remove a couple of tablespoons of the wine from the batter (or both!). They do also work in a 9 x 9 baking pan. Hopefully if you get a chance to make these brownies again, they will turn out better for you! Thank you for trying my recipe and for sharing you valuable feedback! 🙂
Jen says
I made them election night (last night). I didn’t realize that I was out of cranberries until I started making them, but I did have sour cherries. I made them with the sour cherries and they were AMAZING! All my co-workers are enjoying the leftovers today. Chocolate – good.
Little L says
I made these today.. absolutely beautiful! Thank you for a recipe I will be using over and over! 🙂
Amanda says
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and sharing your thoughts!
Alexandra says
I made these brownies last night and they are delicious but they are super sticky. They are so sticky that when I tried to take them out of the pan after completely cooling they stuck to each other and fell a part. I greased the pan as instructed. Any suggestions to keep this from happening?
Amanda says
Hi Alexandra, I am terribly sorry that they stuck! You can try using parchment paper instead of greasing the pan next time. If you leave extra parchment paper hanging on the sides of the baking pan (I use binder clips to hold them down while baking) you can easily lift up the brownies from the pan with ease. That should help immensely with taking them out of the pan. If they feel too soft and sticky to cut nicely, you can also try increasing the amount of flour by a few tablespoons. I hope this helps!
Alexandra says
If I make them again I think I’ll add more flour. They weren’t sticking to the pan- just a little too dense to move. Thanks for the advice!
Shannon says
I made these the other night and had high hopes. The flavor was delish, but they did not cook through. I rebaked several times to no avail. Should baking powder have been an ingredient to help them rise? I followed the recipe exactly.
Amanda says
Hi Shannon, I’m so sorry the recipe did not meet your expectations! The brownies are meant to be quite dense, moist, and fudgy. There shouldn’t be much rise to them at all, so I don’t typically add baking powder to my brownies, but you can certainly try it if you prefer something less dense. You may also try omitting 2-3 tablespoons of the wine (or adding 2-3 tablespoons of flour) which will result in a less dense/moist. If they are still wiggly and not set, then it may be an issue with oven calibration. If you make them again with any of the changes, I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Robyn says
These look amazing! Is there a particular type of red wine that would taste best, does anyone think? (Although really, with wine you can’t really go wrong…)
So excited to make these!
Kay says
Made this last night.
While the flavours are good together (wine and chocolate with the nuts are superb), it was far, far too sweet with dried cranberries. Next time I think id either take most of the sugar out, or perhaps soak some morello cherries instead. In all a good recipe of flavours.
Rita says
Question, if u use chocolate covered dried fruit, how will the wine absorb during step one? [email protected]
Amanda says
Hi Rita, it won’t absorb into the fruit of it is chocolate covered. The only way to use them would be to remove the chocolate first.
Janet says
These look and sound amazing. Just wondering did you ever go back and try them with dried cherries? I’m thinking the combo would be fantastic but hate to change a recipe the first time I give it a try
Amanda says
Hi Janet!
I have not tried them with dried cherries, but a lot of people who have tried the recipe and have used dried cherries said they really liked it – some have preferred it to the cranberries, so while I can’t speak to it personally, I do think trying them will be worth it!
Robin says
These were fabulous. I used a cheap merlot and added white chocolate chips to the recipe instead of the nuts. Fabulous!
Zea Chua says
Hi Amanda, I made these today. Although the taste was good, the texture was like a pudding.. What might I have done wrong? Did you use a whisk to mix the batter?
Amanda says
Hi Zea, it sounds like the brownies were maybe not baked long enough. If you did bake for the full 50 minutes, it could be that your oven runs a little cold. (Or if you are using a glass baking pan, it would take longer) Is it possible that you forgot an egg or all of the cocoa powder/flour? Another possibility is that the cranberries did not soak up enough of the wine. I used a spatula and whisk to make my brownies.
Zea says
Maybe the cranberries did not soak up enough.. Will try to bake ’em again soon and will let you know how it turns out. Thanks! 🙂
Amanda says
What you can do is heat up the cranberries and wine together in the microwave for 45-60 seconds and then let them sit. The heat will help encourage the cranberries to soak up more wine. You can also try reducing the amount of wine by a few tablespoons
Zea says
Gotcha! Also, which steps did you use the whisk? Might be the way I mixed the ingredients..
Melissa Shaffer says
Hi! Just wanted to say I made these today and I let them bake for 45 minutes and they are pretty overdone. They are very tasty, but they are pretty dry. Be sure to check them early and often. I’m going to make them again, but start checking them at 35 minutes. I just tested my oven too, so I know it’s not that.
Amanda says
Hi Melissa, so glad you tried the brownies! Do you by chance have a convection oven? I’m finding that they typically have much shorter baking times so I’m wondering if that might have anything to do with it? If not, then I’ll definitely do some more tests regarding baking times
Deb Snyder says
I tried these today with a couple of changes due to using what I had on hand. A Sauvignon blanc (white wine) and a blend of dried cherries, blueberries and cranberries. Delicious, rich and give high marks!! I look forward to trying the red wine, all dried cherries maybe 3/4 cup and adding toasted walnuts. A drizzle of semi-sweet chocolate would push them over the edge! Not a sweet wine fan will stick with a dry red.
Rona says
I super love these brownies!!! In the oven now is my third try on them. Tweaking and getting it to my perfection: truffle like brownies. Wanted to try it this time with cherries though I don’t have the dried ones. I used glazed cherries and soaked it in half cup of brandy. To get a fudgier batch: reduced flour to 3/4cup, used 2 eggs instead of 3 and sugar to 1 cup brown sugar. From the previous batch, I used a 9×9 pan, chilled the brownies and cut them up to 64 pcs so they are quite small. After which I rolled them in Cocoa powder. I tell you it’s divine! Did these tweaks for this Christmas as gifts. How posh is it to giveaway or receive “Red Wine Cranberry Brownie Truffle” or “Black Forest Brownie Truffle.”
Becky Gerber says
I have made these several times. AWESOME! First with dry red, second sweet red. Sweet definitely better.
Ready to make again but only have Sherry (mother loves a small glass after dinner). How do you think Sherry would work in this recipe?
Amanda says
I have not tried it with Sherry, so I cannot speak to that. If any other readers have tried it, please sound in!
Lexi says
Do you know if the alcohol bakes off in this recipe? I’ve made it several times and love them, but want to make them for some nursing mama friends.
Amanda says
So, most of it does bake off, I would say at least 90% bakes out, but from what I understand about cooking out alcohol, there would still be trace amounts left. Not enough – in my non-expert opinion, but as a mom who also nursed – to have any affect on mama or the baby. I’d say its on par with drinking a bottle of kombucha.
Evelyn says
I’ve made these brownies! There great! I have to comment on your timing?
Cook 15 min? Baking time in 50-55 min ?
Rania says
This recipe sounds great for my husband’s birthday! He loves red wine. To do it in a 13*9 inch pan should I double it or make it one and half the recipe? Thank you!
Amanda Powell says
The brownies are kind of thick, you could probably get away with 1.5 of the recipe!
Mika says
Hello there,
I just cooked the brownie following stept by step. Set my oven to 175C, for 50 minutes. But my brownie was a bit burnt on top and quite dry inside. Should I cook it for less time?
Amanda Powell says
Yes, as a general rule, since everyone’s kitchen appliances are always slightly different, you should start checking your baked goods about 5-10 minutes before the stated time with a toothpick to test for doneness
Trisha McMurray says
I work at a winery, in the kitchen, and I’ve been thinking of how I could use left over wine. I made some brownies but they didn’t turn out great. They tasted good but the presentation wasn’t desirable. Do I need to reduce the wine? Making it…maybe thicker like a Port or Dessert Wine? I love your suggestions for the dried cranberries and nuts. I will try that next. If you have any advice I’d love to hear from you. Thank you!
Amanda Powell says
Hi Trisha! When I soaked the cranberries in the wine, the sugar content in the cranberries did help to give the wine a bit more viscosity. You can certainly try thickening it.. reducing it down so it is almost a syrup could be good (which may require a bit of sugar), or even actually using a nice dessert wine (and adjusting the sugar depending on how sweet the dessert wine is).