Strawberry brownies are a fudgy, delicious dessert, perfect for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or a summer dessert. I'll show you how easy it is to make these frosted brownies from scratch!
Chocolate strawberry desserts like these brownies are really popular for Valentine's Day, and with good reason. Who doesn't love chocolate covered strawberries?
One of the most popular is my no bake recipe for Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake. But there are two other holidays that are perfect for serving up bright red strawberry desserts; Memorial Day and the 4th of July!
Skip the boxed mixes! I'll show you how to make this dessert from scratch- I think you'll be surprised at how easy it is.
This strawberry brownies recipe starts with decadent, fudgy brownies.
They're done in under 40 minutes, and made with real ingredients! A super fudgy brownie topped with homemade strawberry frosting.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- They taste like chocolate covered strawberries! The strawberry preserves have a bright flavor that complements the chocolate.
- Versatile and adaptable. Need a quick dessert for a potluck, picnic, or baby shower? This one's a winner! You can even switch it up by using a different flavor of jam for the frosting.
- Just as easy as making a boxed mix! The difference is, homemade desserts are made with love, so of course they taste better.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make the strawberry brownies, you'll need:
- salted butter: If you can afford it, I recommend using European butter rather than American-made. It has less water and more butterfat, so the flavor is much better.
- white granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- large eggs: Egg yolks are important for creating moisture and structure.
- vanilla extract
- unsweetened cocoa powder: Use either natural unsweetened cocoa or Dutch process. Do not use hot cocoa mix - it has sugar in it that will make the brownies too sweet.
- all-purpose flour: I like to use unbleached flour because it's less processed.
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- strawberry preserves: You can use either jam or jelly, whichever you prefer.
- powdered sugar
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make gluten-free brownies, substitute the AP flour with a cup-for-cup variety of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- white granulated sugar: To reduce the calories, you can substitute the sugar with any cup-for-cup variety of granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option. Light brown sugar can be used as a substitute, but it will add a molasses flavor to the bars.
- salted butter: If you need or want to use unsalted butter, just add ¼ teaspoon of salt to this recipe.
Although I haven't tested the recipe using plant-based butter substitutes, they should work fine. - eggs: I don't recommend substituting the eggs, but I know they are expensive right now. If you want to try, read my post on substitutes for eggs in brownies.
- vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence.
Brownie Variations
Use a different flavor of chocolate. Feel free to swap out the chocolate chips for white chocolate or dark chocolate
For a stronger strawberry flavor: To make the strawberry flavor the highlight, you can forgo the chocolate chips. Doing so will tone down the flavor of the chocolate brownies. You could also add a few drops of strawberry flavoring, or some freeze-dried strawberries.
Try other jam flavors. You can use any flavor of jam you like in this recipe. Raspberry would be delicious. I haven't tried using fresh strawberries in the frosting, but I don't think they would be sweet enough for the frosting. You could definitely top the brownies with freshly sliced strawberries though!
You can also mix the jam into the brownies (follow this Strawberry Swirl Brownies Recipe!) If you're looking for a different fruit flavor, cherry brownies are delicious, and so are lemon brownies!
How to Make Strawberry Brownies
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Combine the wet ingredients.
- Incorporate the flour and cocoa.
- Bake brownie batter in a greased baking dish.
- Add strawberry frosting to the cooled brownies.
Liz's Tips for the Best Brownies
- Avoid over mixing the batter. I recommend that you stop mixing when there are no more visible streaks of flour.
- Let the brownies cool before you frost them. If you don't, the frosting will melt.
- For easier slicing, chill the strawberry brownies for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the frosting to set up a bit.
- For thinner brownies, use a 9x13 pan. Instead of using an 8x8 square pan, you can make these in a 9x13 pan. The brownies will be a little thinner and you may need to double the strawberry frosting to be sure you have enough to cover the entire surface.
Storing
The brownies will stay fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze strawberry brownies?
Unfrosted, the brownies may be frozen for up to 3 months. I don't recommend freezing them with frosting, because it affects the consistency too much. Thaw completely before frosting them.
Serving Suggestions
- These strawberry brownies are delicious on their own. To elevate the dessert, serve them with fresh strawberry slices and/or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Homemade whipped cream is also a delicious topping.
Homemade Brownies FAQ
If you find the brownies sticking to the baking pan, you may need to grease the pan more. Adding the cocoa powder helps make removing the brownies much easier. If the problems persist, you can always use parchment paper instead of greasing the pan. This is especially good if you are looking to cut down on your clean up time.
Brownies can be a little tricky sometimes when it comes to cooking time. While you don’t want them to be raw when they come out of the oven, it is important to remember that they will continue to cook as they sit in the pan. A good rule of thumb is to stick a toothpick in the center. If there is little to no dough sticking to the toothpick you are good to go ahead and take the pan out of the oven.
You don't have to beat the eggs before adding them to the bowl, but it does make them easier to incorporate.
Brownies harden slightly as they cool. They usually don't get hard, but just get firmer as they cool.
Any chocolate will work well in brownies, but I prefer unsweetened cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
The best way to keep the edges of the brownies soft is to not over bake them. When the brownies are fully baked, the edges should be set, and the center of the brownies will be slightly underbaked. They'll finish baking as they cool.
Other Strawberry Desserts to Make
- Soft Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
- Strawberry Chocolate Marble Cake
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake (No Bake)
Homemade Strawberry Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter , or unsalted butter plus ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 large eggs
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder natural or Dutch process
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Strawberry Frosting
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup strawberry preserves jam or jelly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease an 8x8 baking pan with butter and dust it with cocoa powder to help prevent the brownies from sticking. Set pan aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt 1 cup of butter. Add white and brown sugars. Using a whisk or electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat for 2 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat again for 1-2 minutes to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
- Using a mixing spoon, stir in cocoa powder and flour, being careful not to over mix. Stir until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.
- While your brownies are cooking, beat together the remaining ½ cup of butter, powdered sugar, and strawberry jam/ jelly until smooth.
- Remove brownies from the oven and let them cool in the pan on a wire rack. Pour frosting over the cool brownies, then use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill until the frosting sets.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Use unsalted butter instead - Use unsalted butter if you don’t have salted butter, just make sure you add ¼ teaspoon of Kosher or sea salt to the recipe as well.
- For thinner brownies, use a 9x13 pan. You may need need to double the frosting to ensure you have enough to cover the entire brownie surface.
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