Strawberry Brownies

Rich and fudgy chocolate brownies with a perfectly crackled crust topped with tangy fresh and freeze-dried strawberries, the definition of a strawberry brownie

What are strawberry brownies?

A lot of the strawberry brownie recipes online are made from strawberry cake mix, and the result is a bright pink strawberry slab. When it comes to brownies, the "brown" comes from chocolate, and I think a true strawberry brownie should be a combination of strawberries and a rich, fudgy chocolate brownie.

None of those strawberry cake mix brownies on this blog! The brownies are rich and indulgent and pair perfectly with the tangy strawberries laid over the top. I mean isn't strawberries and chocolate the best combination?!

What you need

• Melted butter: Both unsalted and salted butter will work here. If you use salted butter don't add the pinch of salt later.
• Semi-sweet chocolate: I find semi-sweet chocolate the best in this kind of recipe as it adds more depth to the chocolate flavor. If you like a sweeter brownie then feel free to use milk chocolate. However, I wouldn't recommend reducing the sugar as it changes the texture of the brownies.

• Large eggs: Eggs are important for the structure and texture of the brownies, it's also what holds everything together
• Caster sugar: I use caster sugar in these brownies because we want the sugar to melt into the batter. The melting of the sugar is what helps to create the crackly crust
• Flour: Plain/all-purpose flour does the job here!

• Cocoa powder: I recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder here as it has had the acidity neutralized, giving a smoother and richer chocolate taste
• Baking powder: Necessary to give the brownies a little lift and break up the dense texture
• Salt: Essential to cutting through the sweetness of the sugar and chocolate

• Fresh strawberries: These are thinly sliced and layered over the top for a stunning and tasty strawberry layer
• Freeze-dried strawberries: These are optional, but they add another layer of tangy strawberry flavor and a pretty touch of pink
• Melted dark chocolate: This is also optional, but the drizzle of chocolate helps the freeze-dried strawberries stick to the brownies

Equipment needed

• 8 x 8 square baking pan: This will give you a brownie with a nice thickness, if you don't have this a regular brownie tin will work the same
• Parchment paper or baking paper: You will need this to line the tin and prevent the brownies from sticking

• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer: A lot of brownie recipes don't use electric mixers, but beating the eggs until they are fluffy helps the brownies achieve that crunchy shiny crust
• Offset spatula: An offset spatula will help you smoothen the top of your brownies so you can lay your strawberries on top in an even layer. You can use a butter knife instead if you don't have one.

Variations

There are so many different ways you can jazz these brownies up and make them a creation of your own! A couple of my favorite ways to make these special are...

• Adding nuts: Walnuts, hazelnuts or even peanuts can be a fun addition to your brownies, giving them extra texture and flavor
• Adding chocolate chips: you can fold in dark, milk, or white chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey twist

• Swirl strawberry jam through the batter for a more concentrated strawberry flavor
• Instead of decorating these with more freeze-dried strawberries, you can make this fun and kid-friendly with a scattering of sprinkles!

Or serve these warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a decadent dessert!

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a brownie fudgy?

The key ingredients in making brownies fudgy are chocolate and butter. The similarity between these two is fat. Cocoa butter from the chocolate and butterfat from the butter. The more fat there is the fudgier the brownie will be!

How do I get a crust on the top of my brownies?

It can be frustrating when your brownies bake up dull and boring, you want that shiny crackled crust! The secret to achieving this is in two key areas: sugar content and egg beating.

The most important of the two is the beating of the eggs. You want to beat the eggs until they have doubled in volume and become lighter in color. You should be able to create ribbons of batter that sit on the surface of the batter before it blends in with the remaining batter. This creates a meringue of some sort that floats to the surface of the brownie when baked.

The other key area is sugar content. However, you don't need to worry about that since I've taken care of it in the recipe! The sugar melds with the egg to create the meringue-like crust that sits on top.

How do I know when fudgy brownies are done baking?

A skewer inserted in the center should come out wet with a few crumbs. If it is completely covered in raw batter it needs to bake a little longer.

How do I cut perfect brownie slices?

The trick to cutting perfect slices is to chill the brownies after they bake. Once chilled, the chocolate, butter, and sugar will firm up.

Run a sharp knife under hot water and wipe dry before slicing. The heat helps to melt the brownie as it is sliced to create the perfect slice.

As there are strawberries on top of these brownies, make sure you use a sharp knife otherwise it can push the strawberries into the brownies rather than slicing them

How long can I store these?

These can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure you store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh!

Can I use different fruits?

Yes of course! As long as you slice the fruit thinly before layering the slices over the brownie they'll turn out perfectly! A couple of options I think would work nicely are; orange, apple, or banana.

Let's Get Cooking

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.

Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

📖 Recipe

Strawberry Brownie Recipe

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5 from 1 review

Rich and fudgy chocolate brownies with a perfectly crackled crust topped with tangy fresh and freeze-dried strawberries, the definition of a strawberry brownie

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 squares 1x
• Category: Bars
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

• 250 g Unsalted butter, melted (1 cup)
• 200 g Semisweet chocolate (7.50z)
• 4 Eggs, room temperature
• 360 g Caster sugar (1 ½ cups)
• 65 g Flour (½ cup)
• 80 g Cocoa powder (1 cup), dutch processed
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 6-8 strawberries, thinly sliced
• Freeze-dried strawberries, optional, for sprinkling
• Melted dark chocolate, optional, for drizzling

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F)
2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium sized bowl over a hot water bath or in the microwave
3. In a large bowl add the eggs and caster sugar, whisk until smooth
4. Add the chocolate and butter mixture into the eggs, stirring until combined
5. Using an electric beater, beat the eggs and chocolate until doubled in volume and paler in colour (this will take some time, but it is the trick to getting that beautiful shiny crust and finish)
6. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, mix until just combined
7. Pour into a brownie pan (8 x 8 inches) and arrange the thinly sliced strawberries over the top.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out with a few gooey crumbs.
9. Cool, drizzle with melted dark chocolate and scatter over the freeze-dried strawberries
10. Cut into 12 squares and enjoy!

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