Easy Chocolate Brownies

You might be surprised at how easy these chocolate raspberry brownies are to make. Honestly! Brownies don’t have to be complicated and this recipe incorporates the raspberry flavor in two very simple ways. You can go all the way and decorate these brownies to the fullest with a layer of chocolate and raspberry icing, OR… you can make it even easier on yourself and stop after baking and just dust with powdered sugar. You’ll still have that great fudgy chocolate raspberry brownie ready to impress anyone…even yourself!

Ingredients in Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

I think what makes brownies so easy to make is that you start with melted butter. This is great news for you if you’re not a planner – you don’t even need to worry about bringing butter to room temperature before starting like you do with so many other baking recipes. In this recipe, you melt the butter on the stovetop and beat the sugars in while the butter is still hot. Add eggs, beat really well and then stir in the dry ingredients. Easy.

Tips for Shiny Top Brownies

That first step of beating the sugar with hot butter is the first tip to get shiny brownies. The hot butter helps to dissolve the sugar properly and then beating in the eggs distributes that sugar so that it can form almost a meringue shine on top. Another tip that helps with the shiny surface is to stir chocolate chips into the batter at the end. This not only increases the sugar content a little, but also gives some texture and bulk to the batter so that the brownies don’t sink so much. I never need a reason to add more chocolate to anything, but it’s nice that it has added benefit!

How to Make Raspberry Brownies

I don’t love extracts or flavorings, so to get the raspberry flavor into these chocolate raspberry brownies, I just push real fresh raspberries into the batter. If you try to fold the raspberries into the batter, they get crushed and you then lose the chance to ensure that they are evenly distributed throughout the tray. Instead, just scatter the raspberries on top and push them gently into the batter. They look pretty baked into the brownie that way too.

How Long to Bake Brownies

These brownies bake for 25 minutes at 350˚F. They should still be dense in the center, which translates to “fudgey” when they cool. The parchment paper-lined baking sheet makes them easy to remove from the pan when the time comes, which… could be now if  you don’t want to go forward with the decorating of the brownies. Serve them as is, with a dollop of whipped cream, or with some powdered sugar on top. If you want to make the brownies extra special, however,… perhaps for that someone special… keep on going with the next steps.

Icing Brownies

I wanted a layer of smooth chocolate on the brownies to create a backdrop for some raspberry icing, so I melted about a cup of chocolate with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and then spread it over the top of the brownies with an offset spatula. Spread it to all the sides and corners and then lift the pan and smack it down on the countertop to make the chocolate layer perfectly smooth.

Raspberry Icing for Brownies

The raspberry for these brownies is very simple. Press ¼ cup of raspberries through a fine strainer to remove all the seeds. Then use a whisk to beat in 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar to make a smooth, drizzle-able icing. If it’s too thick, thin it with a little water or lemon juice. If it is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. 

Decorating Brownies

Putting the icing into a zipper sealable plastic bag and then cutting off the corner will make it very easy to drizzle the beautiful pink icing over the chocolate covered brownies. You could do this while the chocolate is still wet and then drag a knife through the lines to create a pretty design, or just make diagonal lines at an angle over the entire pan. Let it dry for a few minutes and then cut into whatever shapes and sizes you like. 

Storing Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Here’s the good news: You can store these chocolate raspberry brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or freeze them for up to three months. Here’s the bad news: Unless you have steel-strong self control, you won’t have any brownies to store!

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies