Our decadent chocolate cherry brownies are filled with semi-sweet chocolate chips and swirled with a tart cherry jam. We took one of our favorite brownie recipes from the blog and added cherry jam and a homemade cherry buttercream.
These gooey brownies have a crackly top and are filled with cherry flavor. This simple recipe is made in one bowl with melted chocolate, simple ingredients and this is the perfect recipe to make for a delicious dessert.
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- we took our best brownie recipe and filled it with juicy cherries and put the most amazing cherry buttercream on top of the brownies
- these easy homemade brownies are made with melted butter, dark chocolate, cocoa powder and brown sugar
- serious cherry flavor comes from both the cherry jam and the cherry buttercream
- our chocolate cherry brownie recipe is made in one bowl with simple ingredients
🍫 Ingredients
- unsweetened baking chocolate - use a bar made specifically for baking like Ghiradelli or Baker chocolate
- cherry preserves - choose a cherry preserve that has nice large pieces of cherry in it - I used a jar from Bonne Maman for this recipe
- cherry flavoring - the cherry flavoring adds just a little extra cherry flavor to the buttercream that goes on top of the brownies.
- cocoa powder - choose a high quality, unsweetened cocoa powder - I've had great luck baking with Ghiradelli cocoa powder and Guittard and Hershey both make a nice cocoa powder as well.
🍋 Variations
gluten free chocolate cherry brownies - swap the all purpose flour out for your favorite gluten free baking mix. I've had good luck with using both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. Both of theses mixes have been formulated for baking and you don't need any additional xanthum gum or guar gum to achieve great results.
🧈 Substitutions
semisweet chocolate chips - swap the darker chocolate chips out for milk chocolate chips for a sweeter batch of decadent brownies
cherry jam - you can use ½ cup of fresh cherries in place of the cherry jam. Rinse and dry the cherries, remove the pits and chop the cherries in half. Fold the fresh cherries into the brownie batter.
cherry flavoring - if you don't have the cherry flavoring, you can just omit it from the buttercream
🥣 Instructions
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions.
In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter over low heat. Once the butter is completely melted, remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and chocolate with the brown and white sugar. Mix until smooth.
Add the eggs and vanilla. Whisk until light and fluffy.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Mix in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into a parchment lined 8 x 8 square baking pan.
Drop 16 teaspoon sized scoops of cherry jam onto the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the jam through the brownie batter. Bake brownies at 350° for 25 minutes.
Remove brownies from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Cool brownies completely in the pan. While the brownies are cooling, make the cherry buttercream.
Once the brownies are completely cool, lift the brownies from the pan. Spread the buttercream over the cooled brownies and garnish with shaved chocolate.
Hint: Use two pieces of parchment paper to line your brownie pan. Criss cross the sheets of parchment paper so that the paper completely covers the pan. This will also make removing the brownies from the pan super easy.
🤓 Expert Tip
Use High Quality Chocolate - Your brownies will be as good as your chocolate so be sure to use a high quality chocolate for this recipe. I tested the brownies using a Ghiradelli unsweetened baking bar and Ghirdadelii chocolate chips. I have also had good luck using both Bakers and Guittard chocolate.
📦 Storage
Wrap chocolate cherry brownies in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Store brownies in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
⭐️ Recipe FAQs About
Using melted butter with a combination of brown and white sugar makes brownies extra chewy.
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Cherry Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownies
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 ounces (66g) bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup (70g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (40g) dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- swirls of cherry jam
- ⅔ cup (115g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the Buttercream:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cup (175g) confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon cherry extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup cherry jam
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
For the Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan, melt ½ cup of butter over low heat. Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from heat. Add the broken pieces of bittersweet chocolate and allow them to melt.
- While the butter and chocolate are melting, combine the sugars in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- Add the melted butter and chocolate to the sugars and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla to the chocolate mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and mix until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the parchment lined baking pan.
- Drop dollops of cherry jam onto batter and swirl into batter.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Begin testing the brownies to see if they are baked at 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the brownies should have a few sticky brownie crumbs stuck to it letting you know that they are done.
- Remove brownies from the oven and cool completely. Once the brownies are cool, lift the parchment paper and brownies from the pan and transfer to a cutting board.
For the Cherry Buttercream
- Combine the butter, powdered sugar, cherry jam, cherry flavoring, vanilla and milk in the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Mix until light and fluffy.
- Spread over the cooled brownies
- Cut the brownies into 16 squares.
- Brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to a week but they won't last that long.
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