Recipe: Strawberry Brownies

Brownies are amazing, don’t you think? Especially when they’re warm. They’re chocolaty, soft and chewy, and perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and strawberries.

At least, they’re that amazing when they’re done right. Unfortunately, in my quest for the perfect brownie recipe, I’ve come across a lot that don’t quite meet the mark.

This one, though. This recipe checks all the boxes. And, as an added bonus, it has the strawberries built right in.

While this is one of my recipes, I feel it’s only fair I let you know that it was inspired by a couple of others. The strawberry mixture is derived from these Yogurt Breakfast Popsicles (which are great, by the way) and the base for the brownies came out of Jim Fobel’s Old-Fashioned Baking Book. But I found that combining the two required some amendments, which is where my version comes in.

The recipe isn’t hard, but it does require a bit of work. And more than just a little attention. Take the eggs, for example. They need to be foamy (see the picture above) before you add the sugar. Then they need to be fairly light, almost white, before you add the rest of the ingredients.

Actually, the eggs are probably the trickiest part of the recipe. Once you get past them, you’re on track to some wonderful brownies.

Seriously, these come out just about perfect. They’re soft with a chewy inside, but they keep that wonderful crackle on top. And the strawberries are subtle, but they still shine through the chocolate. The two flavours complement each other wonderfully, and the only thing missing is the vanilla ice cream.

When all is said and done, these are exactly the type of brownies that you need a glass of milk with. So make sure you have one ready to go.

And in the meantime, enjoy the scent that wafts from the oven as these are baking. That on its own is enough to make up for any bad day.

Strawberry Brownies

Ingredients

For the strawberry mixture:

1/2 pint of strawberries, chopped
2 tbsp white sugar

For the brownie mixture:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup white flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

In a small pot, mix the strawberries and sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Heat the strawberries and sugar over medium-low to medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring. Take the strawberries off the heat once the juice is boiling and the strawberries have started to break down. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Prepare a square baking dish by lining it with tinfoil, then spray the tinfoil with cooking spray.
Melt the butter in a small pot on the stove, or in a bowl in the microwave. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate starts to melt. Let sit for two to five minutes, then stir until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs and salt; beat the mixture with a handheld mixer until frothy, about 30 seconds.
Gradually beat the sugar into the egg mixture. Continue to beat until light in colour, about one to two minutes.
Add the vanilla and melted butter/chocolate and beat until smooth.
Using a spoon, fold in the strawberry mixture. Stir in the flour and cocoa powder until just blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top starts to crack.
Let the brownies cool for a bit, until they’re cool enough to touch. Remove from the pan by lifting the tinfoil out. Cut and serve as desired.