Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Valentine's Day Brownie Recipe

Whether or not you're in a relationship when Valentine's Day rolls around, one thing's for sure — chocolate is on the menu. Popular brands come out with new products, stores are overflowing with chocolate treats, and your inspiration in the kitchen becomes choco-centric. There's no shortage of themed desserts, but recipe developer Kate Shungu of Gift of Hospitality takes it a step further with this chocolate-covered strawberry Valentine's Day brownie recipe. 

This decadent treat offers not one, but two delightfully sweet and chocolatey delicacies that will send you head over heels. Shungu highlights this delicious fact and shares, "I love how these brownies are two treats in one: a rich chocolate brownie with buttercream AND a chocolate covered strawberry." The dazzling appearance is one more point in favor of this dessert. It doesn't get much better than pink frosting garnished with chocolate strawberries! And while the presentation is undeniably impressive, the recipe steps are fairly straightforward. 

There are three components to this dessert: brownies, chocolate strawberries, and frosting. For the first, you'll need unsweetened chocolate, butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Next, you'll need more semi-sweet chocolate chips and small strawberries. As for the buttercream, Shungu uses freeze-dried strawberries, softened butter, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and milk.

To begin, preheat the oven to 350 F and grease or line a 13x9-inch pan with parchment paper. Set out a cutting board and chop the unsweetened chocolate in rough chunks. Add them to a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl along with ¾ cups of butter. Microwave the contents 30 seconds at a time, stirring the mixture at each interval. 

Once the two ingredients are fully melted, whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Next, crack in the eggs and whisk them into the mixture as well.

With a spatula, stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until there are no more streaks. Fold in the cup of chocolate chips to distribute them evenly. 

Carefully pour the mixture into the baking pan you prepared. Once the oven is at temperature, bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes until they are cooked through. Set the pan aside to cool down completely.

While the brownies cool, set a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. If the strawberries aren't pre-washed, make sure to rinse and pat them dry with a paper towel. 

To make the chocolate-covered strawberries, add a cup of chocolate chips to a small microwave-safe bowl and heat it 30 seconds at a time, stirring until melted. Carefully dip the strawberries one by one into the melted chocolate, then place them flat on the parchment paper to harden. Give the chocolate about 1 hour to fully harden or pop the strawberries into the refrigerator to speed up the process.

Once the brownies have fully cooled down, it's time to make the frosting. Set up a high-speed blender or food processor and add in the freeze-dried strawberries. Blend them until they turn into a fine dust. 

Shungu notes that "If the freeze-dried strawberries have larger pieces in them after blending/processing, pour them through a fine mesh colander and discard the larger pieces." She explains, "The key to creamy buttercream with a rich strawberry flavor is using freeze-dried strawberries that have been ground in a food processor or blender," as chunky pieces will get in the way of the desired texture.

In a large bowl, add the softened butter, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, the strawberry powder, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Beat the mixture until the ingredients are properly combined. If the consistency is a bit too thick, Shungu recommends adding an extra tablespoon of milk to thin it out slightly.

Spread the buttercream over the top of the brownies with a spatula, smoothing out the surface. Then, place the chocolate-covered strawberries on top. Shungu spaces them out evenly so that every slice includes a strawberry, but you're welcome to display them as you wish. Cut slices and serve this delicious chocolate-covered strawberry Valentine's Day brownie dessert. 

If you want to get a head start, Shungu suggests making the brownies in the pan a few days in advance. "Just before serving, frost with the buttercream and add the chocolate covered strawberries," she instructs. As for leftovers, she recommends storing them in a sealed container in the refrigerator.