Strawberry Brownies

Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Brownies Recipe

I love chocolate-covered strawberries, so I found a way to incorporate those flavors into a fudgy brownie recipe! These strawberry brownies are rich, chocolatey brownies topped with a thick layer of fluffy strawberry frosting. But why stop there? I finished my frosted brownies with a glaze of creamy chocolate ganache, too. Just look at those layers! Here are more reasons to love them:

• 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.

Brownie Ingredients

These brownies need only a few easy ingredients, so each one counts! Check out my notes here, and scroll down to the printable recipe card below the post for the full amounts and details.

• 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.

Can I Use Fresh Strawberries in the Frosting?

As much as I love fresh strawberries, they naturally have a lot of liquid. If you’d like to use fresh berries, I recommend pureeing them as I do in the strawberry frosting for my strawberry cupcakes. Otherwise, just about any type of strawberry jam or preserves will work. Keep in mind that preserves will have larger chunks of fruit.

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.

How to Make Strawberry Brownies

These strawberry brownies come together in three easy stages: a baked chocolate brownie layer, the fluffy strawberry filling, and a finishing layer of ganache to lock it all in. Here’s a summary of the steps. Scroll to the recipe card for complete printable instructions.

• 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.

Easy Homemade Chocolate Ganache

I could have frosted these strawberry brownies and left it at that, but what’s a chocolate-covered strawberry-inspired dessert without a coating of rich chocolate ganache? I use my homemade chocolate ganache to glaze the brownies with a final, fudgy layer. All you need is butter, heavy cream, and a high-quality melting chocolate. Chocolate chips work in a pinch, but chocolate bars are better.

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.

Recipe Tips and Variations

• Use full-fat heavy cream for the ganache layer. Milk or half and half won’t work in this ganache recipe. The ganache won’t firm up due to the lower fat content.
• Try another fruit. Any fruit jam can be used in place of the strawberry jam in the frosting. Go ahead and choose your favorite to pair with the chocolate! Raspberry brownies would be AMAZING. I’m thinking orange marmalade would also be good, for some chocolate orange vibes.
• Add chocolate chips. Fold regular or white chocolate chips into the batter. You can also try white chocolate ganache instead of dark chocolate.
• Make strawberry cream cheese frosting. Cream ¼ cup of cream cheese with ¼ cup of butter, and beat in 2½ cups powdered sugar, then ¼ cup of strawberry jam. Voila! Tangy strawberry cream cheese frosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes brownies fudgy or cakey?

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey brownies. The brownies in this recipe are a bit of both. They rely on cocoa powder for fudginess, but they don’t require any baking powder or baking soda for leavening, so they’re denser than cakey brownies. That being said, you can use any brownie recipe you’d like for the brownie layer. These buttermilk brownies would also be delicious!

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.

How to Store

• Refrigerate. Store the strawberry brownies in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. They slice the best when they’re chilled!
• Freeze. These brownies freeze well! You can freeze them sliced or in the pan, double-wrapped in plastic wrap or foil for up to 30 days. Thaw them in the fridge before serving.

More Strawberry Recipes

• Strawberry Sheet Cake
• 2 Ingredient Strawberry Fudge
• Strawberry Shortbread Bars
• Strawberry Pound Cake
• Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars