Cherry Brownies

These cherry brownies are rich decadent and filled with that perfect cherry burst. You can make these cherry chocolate brownies with cocktail cherries such as Tempus Fugit (our favorite!), Luxardo cherries or amarena cherries from Trader Joes.

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If you are looking for the perfect fudgy brownie recipe with glossy thin crackly tops and delicious cherries popping in every bite, you have come to the right place!

These lusciously decadent chocolate cherry brownies are the perfect balance of gooey, fudgy and a fresh pop of cherries. Top them with some vanilla ice cream for an extra bonus.

And speaking of amazing dessert recipes, don’t miss out on this Chocolate Orange Cake, Cream Cheese Frosting without Butter, Box Cake Hacks (great for cakes and cupcakes!), Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies and these smash-hit Ninja Creami Recipes and the always popular Crookie and Key Lime Pie with Store Bought Graham Cracker Crust.

Get ready to make the ultimate chocolate cherry brownies and above-all, enjoy the brownie-baking journey!

Why this recipe works

These chocolate cherry brownies have a moist, gooey center with a dense, rich texture while maintain moisture the next day and not drying out. A cakey texture tends to dry out quickly and should be avoided.

A glossy and shiny brownie crust with the perfect pop of cherry makes these cherry brownies stand out from the rest! No one wants a sad light colored brownie.

Black forest cherry brownies have a rich, deep flavor without overwhelming sweetness, making chocolate the star.

This recipe is EASY and skips unwanted steps such as resting, chilling overnight or freezing before slicing. NOPE! We have to EAT stat.

These cherry chocolate brownies only use fresh and delicious ingredients and omit overly processed ingredients such as cream cheese, marshmallow, nutella, cornstarch and bread or cake flour.

Ingredients

Instructions

• Cherries: We recommend Tempus Fugit cocktail cherries. *** See recipe card for other recommendations.
• Butter: We recommend salted butter which gives a good balance to the sweetness. If you don’t have salted butter, add a sprinkle of salt for the needed pop.
• Cocoa Powder: You can use cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder.
• Chocolate: We recommend chocolate (dark or semi-sweet) finely chopped.
• Instant Coffee or Espresso: You can purchase instant coffee or espresso online or in grocery store coffee aisle.
• White Sugar: White granulated sugar.
• Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar.
• Vanilla: Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• Eggs: Organic or regular.
• Flour: All purpose white flour.

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line 9 x 13 inch pan with foil or parchment paper with overhangs for easy removal.
• In large bowl, put cocoa powder, chopped chocolate and espresso powder.
• Brown Butter: Do not leave stove unattended as browning butter happens fast.
• Add butter to light-colored saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep stirring throughout entire process.

• Once the butter is melted, it will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring and scraping bottom with a spatula.
• Grainy white milk solids and foam will appear. Keep stirring.
• As you stir, in about 5–8 minutes (or less depending on stovetop) from start, the butter will turn golden brown. It will start to smell buttery and nutty.
• Quickly remove the pan from heat and pour the browned butter into large bowl containing cocoa powder, espresso powder and chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

• In separate large bowl, using stand or hand mixer, whip white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs on medium-high (level 5 out of 10) until thick, fluffy, and lightened in color (approximately 4-5 minutes). Don’t skip whipping as it is key to glossy crackly brownie tops!
• Reduce speed to low. Slowly pour chocolate and butter mixture into egg and sugar mixture until fully incorporated.

• Gently fold in flour and kosher salt (with spatula).
• Mix in ½ cup cocktail cherries.
• Scoop and spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
• Top with ¼ cup remaining cocktail cherries.
• Bake 25 minutes until surface is glossy and center is set (no jiggle).
• Let cool at least 30 minutes before removing from pan to slice.

Best cherries for cherry brownies

Our absolute favorite cherries for these cherry chocolate brownies are Tempus Fugit Spirits artisan cocktail cherries, prepared according to a classic recipe using dense cherries candied in a Kirsch-based syrup for added complexity and flavor (ie: a boozy kick that we love balanced with chocolate!).

Yes, these cherries are not for the kiddos as they do contain alcohol but we highly recommend them for an adult holiday splurge.

Another recommendations is to split your batch for the adults and kids. For adults, use the Tempus Fugit cherries.

For the kids, no-alcohol version, we recommend Trader Joe’s amarena cherries.

Tips to make the perfect brownies

Brownie Texture:

• Achieve glossy, crackly tops by using white sugar and foaming eggs.
• The longer you beat the egg mixture, the glossier and cracklier the top crust.

Brown Butter:

• Browned butter deepens flavor and removes excess water.
• Alternatively, melt butter with chopped chocolate in a saucepan, then mix with cocoa powder and espresso powder until smooth.

Baking Pan:

• Use an 8×8″ pan for extra-thick brownies.
• Adjust the baking time accordingly for thicker brownies.

Other amazing brownie and dessert recipes!

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