If you’re looking for easy strawberry dessert ideas, check out more of my favorite strawberry recipes! And if you love the chocolate strawberry combo (who doesn’t?), try my chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake.
Made from scratch. I’ve seen quite a few strawberry brownie recipes that use a strawberry cake mix, or even Jello, to get that fruity strawberry flavor. And while I love a cake mix brownie, the result with a strawberry box mix is a “brownie” that looks more like a strawberry cake mix cookie bar, IMO. Nothing wrong with that, but I wanted a real chocolate brownie, made from scratch, that still brought strawberries into the mix. That’s where my strawberry frosting layer comes in! Chocolate strawberry flavors. I mean, a perfectly fudgy brownie is reason enough to fall in love. But these brownies have creamy homemade strawberry frosting wrapped in chocolatey layers, so every bite is filled with sweet berry flavor. It’s like a chocolate-coated strawberry in brownie form. Any occasion. The sweetness of the strawberry frosting paired with a fudgy chocolate brownie is a match made in dessert heaven. They’re the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, or any time of the year. Since I use strawberry jam in the frosting, strawberries don’t even need to be in season.
Butter – I use salted butter. If you’re using unsalted butter, consider adding a pinch of salt to the brownie batter to balance the sweetness. Cocoa Powder – This can be unsweetened natural cocoa powder or Dutch process, it’s up to you. Dutch-processed cocoa will give the brownies a fudgier flavor and darker color. Eggs and Vanilla – Egg size makes a difference, so make sure to use large eggs. You’ll also want to use real vanilla extract for the most authentic flavor. Granulated Sugar – You could also use brown sugar, but granulated is recommended for this recipe. Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works just fine. I haven’t tried making this recipe gluten-free, but I think that it would turn out fine with gluten-free flour.
For the Strawberry Layer
Butter – Again, I use salted butter in the frosting. Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar. If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can make a homemade substitute by blitzing granulated sugar in the blender until you get a fine powder. Strawberry Jam – You can also use strawberry jelly or strawberry preserves, see below.
Another option is to make the frosting with freeze-dried strawberries. Most supermarkets and food stores carry packages of freeze-dried berries (I usually pick them up at Trader Joe’s). Just pulverize the dried strawberries in a blender and mix the crumbs right into the frosting.
Prepare the brownies. First, you’ll mix up the brownie batter, starting with the wet ingredients followed by the flour. Spread the brownie batter into a greased and lined 9×13″ pan and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely. Make the strawberry frosting. Cream butter and sugar together for the frosting, then add strawberry jam. Spread the frosting in a thick layer all over the cooled chocolate brownies. Chill. Pop the frosted brownies into the fridge to chill while you make a batch of chocolate ganache.
Once you have your ganache, take your brownies out of the fridge and pour the melted chocolate all over the strawberry frosting to coat. Afterward, return the brownies to the fridge for an hour so that the chocolate can set.
Can I add fresh strawberries to the brownie batter?
Fun fact: I actually tested a version of these strawberry brownies with fresh berries folded into the brownie batter. The result was soggy brownies without much flavor, so I don’t recommend it! If you’d like to try baking strawberries into the brownies, I recommend chopping up freeze-dried strawberries instead. At least this way they won’t leak moisture into the batter.
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1 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup cocoa powder 4 eggs 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla 2 cups granulated sugar 2 cups all purpose flour
Strawberry Filling:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature 2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup strawberry jam
Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
