Chocolate covered strawberry brownies layer fudgy chocolate brownies with fresh strawberries and a glossy chocolate ganache top in one pan. ♡
These viral chocolate covered strawberry brownies took over Pinterest as the chocolate covered strawberry of the dessert world. A thick fudgy brownie base gets topped with sliced fresh strawberries, then poured over with a glossy dark chocolate ganache that sets into a snappy shell over the berries. (more viral cheesy garlic bread chicken ideas).
Three desserts layered into one decadent bar. Let’s make it together.
Ingredients
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1.25 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies
- Heat. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides.
- Mix. Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in one bowl. In a separate bowl whisk sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and melted chocolate until glossy.
- Fold. Add dry to wet and stir until just combined. Spread batter in the pan.
- Bake. Bake 28 to 32 minutes until a toothpick has moist crumbs but no raw batter. Cool completely 1 hour.
- Strawberries. Pat sliced strawberries dry with paper towels. Arrange in an even layer over the cooled brownies.
- Ganache. Heat cream until just steaming. Pour over chopped chocolate, let sit 2 minutes, then whisk smooth. Cool to 90F (warm not hot).
- Top. Pour ganache evenly over the strawberries. Chill 2 hours until ganache is set, then slice into 12 bars.
Why This Recipe Works
These bars went viral because they take everything good about chocolate covered strawberries and turn it into a sliceable share dessert. Pinterest saved the original concept over 2 million times in 2023, and TikTok bakers built on it by adding the brownie base for that fudgy chocolate foundation. Every slice has three textures: fudgy brownie, juicy fresh berry, and a snappy chocolate top.
Using oil instead of butter in the brownie base is what gives the fudgy texture instead of cakey. Butter contains milk solids and water that puff during baking and add air pockets, while neutral oil stays liquid and bonds with the eggs and sugar to create a dense glossy crumb that tastes like the inside of a brownie box mix on purpose.
Letting the ganache cool to body temperature before pouring is what creates the snappy shell instead of a soft top. Hot ganache stays loose and seeps into the brownie below, while ganache cooled to about 90F has just enough thickness to coat the strawberries cleanly and set into a defined layer that snaps when sliced.
Tips
- Use Dutch process cocoa powder for the deepest chocolate flavor in the brownie base.
- Slice strawberries 1/4 inch thick. Thinner slices get lost in the ganache and thicker slices push the chocolate up.
- Cool ganache to 90F (warm not hot) before pouring or it will melt the brownies.
- Chill 2 hours minimum before slicing for clean layered cuts.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container up to 3 days. Strawberries weep more after that.
- Common mistake: do not skip patting the strawberry slices dry. Wet berries make the ganache split.
For more on the cinnamon, dig into the food science.
Variations
- Drizzle white chocolate over the dark ganache for a tuxedo strawberry vibe.
- Add a layer of strawberry jam between the brownie and the berries for extra strawberry punch.
- Use a boxed brownie mix as a shortcut. Bake as directed and proceed from the strawberry layer.
- Top with crushed freeze dried strawberries for a tart pop and color.
- Swap dark chocolate ganache for milk chocolate ganache for a sweeter version.
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt on the ganache while still wet for a salty chocolate hit.
Want another twist? Try our dubai chocolate strawberry cups for a different sweet treat.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping the fudgy brownie test. Pull brownies when a toothpick has moist crumbs, not clean. Overbaked brownies turn into the wrong base.
- Using wet strawberries. Pat slices fully dry. Surface water makes the ganache seize and split.
- Pouring hot ganache. Cool ganache to 90F before pouring. Hot ganache melts the brownies and pools at the edges.
- Slicing while warm. Chill 2 hours minimum. Cutting warm bars drags strawberries through the layers.
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies
Ingredients
Method
- **Heat.** Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides.
- **Mix.** Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in one bowl. In a separate bowl whisk sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and melted chocolate until glossy.
- **Fold.** Add dry to wet and stir until just combined. Spread batter in the pan.
- **Bake.** Bake 28 to 32 minutes until a toothpick has moist crumbs but no raw batter. Cool completely 1 hour.
- **Strawberries.** Pat sliced strawberries dry with paper towels. Arrange in an even layer over the cooled brownies.
- **Ganache.** Heat cream until just steaming. Pour over chopped chocolate, let sit 2 minutes, then whisk smooth. Cool to 90F (warm not hot).
- **Top.** Pour ganache evenly over the strawberries. Chill 2 hours until ganache is set, then slice into 12 bars.
Notes
FAQ
Hungry for more? Check out our oreo dirt cake recipe next.
