Strawberry Brownies Recipe

Fudgy strawberry brownies bursting with real strawberry flavor and topped with strawberry white chocolate ganache. 

Most strawberry brownie recipes rely on shortcuts like boxed cake mix or strawberry Jell-O - but as a professional recipe developer, I wanted something better. I wanted to create a strawberry brownie that actually tastes like real strawberries - fresh, vibrant, and naturally sweet.

I prefer to use real ingredients in my desserts - not just for a more authentic flavor, but to make sure the recipes are accessible. You shouldn't have to hunt down artificial flavorings or processed mixes to bake something special. This recipe is completely from scratch, using real strawberries to create a chewy, fudgy brownie that delivers on both taste and texture.

I tested several variations to get it just right - rich, sweet, and bursting with true strawberry flavor, without turning cakey or bland. And best of all, you can use fresh or frozen strawberries, so you can make them any time of year.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love These Strawberry Brownies
• Strawberry Brownie Ingredients
• How to Make Strawberry Brownies
• Strawberry Brownies Recipe Variations
• Storage
• Pink Brownies FAQs
• More Strawberry Recipes
• Recipe

Strawberry Brownie Ingredients

• Strawberries - we'll use the strawberries to make homemade strawberry puree, which is where the strawberry brownies get all their flavor.  You can use fresh or frozen strawberries.  For more info on what is best - read my strawberry coulis recipe post. 

• Sugar - Use extra-fine white sugar (caster sugar in the UK).

• White Chocolate - These are white chocolate brownies with strawberry, rather than a blondie which doesn't have chocolate in it at all. So make sure you don't skip the white chocolate! Make sure you use real white chocolate, (either a bar or callets), not chocolate chips for this part, as bake-stable chocolate chips will not melt properly   We'll use it in the brownie batter and also to make the white chocolate ganache.  

• Butter - Use unsalted butter, there is no need to bring it to room temperature as we will be melting it. 

• Eggs - You'll need 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk.  Use large eggs and always free-range if you can. 

• Vanilla - You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.  Try to avoid vanilla essence. 

• Flour - Use All-purpose flour for this strawberry brownie recipe. 

• White Chocolate Chips - Any white chocolate chips or white chocolate chunks are fine here. 

• Heavy Cream - Make sure you use heavy cream, heavy whipping cream or double cream.  It should have at least 33% fat content. 

See recipe card for quantities.

Equipment

• 9" Square Cake Pan - You could also use an 8" or 10" cake pan, but the thickness of the brownies will differ slightly.  

• High-sided saucepan - To make the strawberry puree you'll want a high-sided saucepan to prevent the strawberry from spitting onto your stovetop. 

• Whisk  - Just a regular whisk will do, but you can use a stand mixer or electric whisk if you prefer. 

How to Make Strawberry Brownies

Make the Strawberry Puree

This strawberry puree is how I get strong and natural flavor in many of my strawberry desserts.  You can find a full, in-depth recipe post about how to make strawberry puree here, but I will give an overview here. 

1. Put the strawberries and sugar in a high-sided saucepan on medium heat. 
2. Keep heating until the sugar dissolves and the strawberries start to break down. 
3. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and keep boiling to evaporate the majority of the water. 
4. Once the mixture is reduced enough that it looks thickened and slightly gelatinous, remove it from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. 
5. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth. 
6. For more detail about making strawberry puree, read my strawberry puree recipe post. 
7. Let cool completely before using it in the recipe. 

Make the Strawberry Brownies

Make the Strawberry Ganache

The strawberry ganache on top of the brownies really turns this simple dessert into something special.  It's a white chocolate ganache mixed with some of the same strawberry puree we made for the strawberry brownie batter.  

Chocolate ganache is an easy recipe, but it can be finicky, so it's important you incorporate the strawberry puree at the right time to prevent the ganache from seizing up. 

1. Chop your white chocolate into small pieces and put them into a medium bowl. 
2. Heat the cream in a small saucepan on medium heat until you see tiny bubbles start to form on the surface.
3. Remove the cream from the heat immediately and pour it over the chopped white chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute. 
4. Stir the cream and chocolate together until the chocolate melts completely and it is all smooth and combined. 
5. Once the cream and chocolate are completely combined and smooth, then you can add the strawberry puree.  Make sure the puree is at room temperature before adding it as cold puree will shock the ganache. 
6. Mix in the puree until everything is one consistent color.  If you want to get a more vibrant color you can add some gel food coloring at this time, but I think it's a very pretty color as it is! 
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the ganache cool until it is a spreadable consistency - this may take an hour or so depending on the temperature of your kitchen.  You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process if you like.

Decorate your Strawberry Brownies

Once your strawberry brownies have completely cooled and your strawberry ganache is a spreadable consistency, it's time to decorate!  It's crucial that you don't try to put ganache onto a warm brownie, or it will melt and get very messy.  

Spoon the ganache over the brownie layer in the center of the brownies while it is still one large piece (i.e. before slicing into individual brownies).  Use an offset spatula or knife to spread it around into all the corners.  

You can decorate your strawberry brownies with whatever you like.  I opted for some slices of fresh strawberry and some freeze-dried strawberry sprinkled on top.  But you could use sprinkles or chocolate curls or even just leave them plain. 

Once you are happy with the brownies, slice them into equal squares.  For 9 large brownies, cut the square into thirds horizontally and vertically.  Or for 16 smaller brownies, cut into quarters each way.  

Strawberry Brownies Recipe Variations

Raspberry Brownies - Or really any kind of fruit you like!  If you can make a puree out of it, you can make these brownies out of it with the exact same recipe and ratios!  Raspberry brownies or Blueberry brownies both sound like a delicious dessert! 

Dark Chocolate Ganache - If you wanted to you could top these strawberry brownies with a dark chocolate or milk chocolate ganache instead of white chocolate.  It wouldn't have the pretty pink color but the strawberry flavor will still come through. 

Strawberry Lemon Brownies - Add the zest and juice of one lemon to your brownie batter to give these brownies a zingy lift of citrus flavor. 

Powdered Sugar Icing - For a quick and easy icing alternative, try my vanilla glaze recipe. You can also add a few spoonfuls of seedless strawberry jam to it for a strawberry flavored glaze.

Storage

Store your strawberry brownies in an airtight container at room temperature, they will be good like this for 3-5 days.  

Note: if you chose to put fresh strawberries on top of your brownies, you should remove these and replace them with fresh ones before serving as they will not do well left out at room temp.  But the brownies themselves and the ganache will be great.  

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