An irresistible chocolate cherry brownies recipe made from scratch with chocolate, cocoa, and fresh cherries, this is the perfect summer brownie recipe, a fantastic variation for all brownie lovers.
Gooey chocolate cherry brownies, rich and chocolaty, slightly uplifted by the tiny bits of juicy cherries, you will adore them! Using delicious cherries is a great idea for making seasonal, decadent brownies; this simple recipe is the best way to satisfy your sweet tooth in summer.
And if you like this sweet treat, check out the Raspberry and White Chocolate Blondies, the Brownie Blondies Recipe, or the Easter Mini Egg Brownies (which can be made with M & M’s all year round).
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Expert Tips
- Use a digital kitchen scale when baking; it guarantees for best results (Amazon affiliate link). Measuring by volume can produce such different results, especially when it comes to flour and butter. And if you use those inaccurate amounts, you’re more likely to get inaccurate results.
- Use a cherry pitter; it’s cheap and makes pitting easy (Amazon affiliate link).
- Room temperature: The ingredients should have room temperature.
- Melt butter and chocolate in a water bath. Don’t let the water get too hot or come to a boil, or the chocolate might become grainy. If the water gets too hot, remove the pot from the heat and continue stirring until the chocolate is melted.
- If you make the brownies with frozen and defrosted or canned and drained cherries, you might need to bake them a few minutes longer, as they have more moisture than fresh cherries. Also, dry them thoroughly with paper towels before adding them to the batter.
- For perfectly cut squares, ensure that the chocolate cherry brownies are completely cool and set before you cut them. Chilling them in the fridge for a few hours before cutting ensure nicely cut pieces.
Recipe ingredients
- Cherries: You can make chocolate cherry brownies with fresh sweet or sour cherries. Or you can use frozen (and defrosted) or canned (and drained) fruit.
- Chocolate: I use dark chocolate (80% cocoa); it imparts the brownies a more intense flavor and is less sweet than semi-sweet chocolate.
- Fat: Unsalted butter. European-style butter is the best for baking because of its higher fat percentage, which makes baked goods richer and softer.
- Neutral-tasting canola or vegetable oil.
- Sugar: Equal amounts of white granulated sugar and brown sugar. Using brown sugar makes the brownies extra chewy and moist; you should not leave it out.
- Cocoa powder: Dutch-processed, unsweetened cocoa powder. Using chocolate and cocoa powder makes the cherry brownies incredibly rich and chocolatey, more so than if you were using only one of them.
- Other dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Eggs: Three large eggs at room temperature.
How to make cherry brownies from scratch?
- Preparations: Preheat the oven. Grease and line a square 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang on two sides. This helps remove the brownies from the tin once they are baked and cooled.
- Cherries: Pit the fresh fruit using a pitter (1). Halve the cherries and set them aside. If using frozen fruit, it must be defrosted and patted dry. If using canned fruit, drain it well and pat it dry with paper towels. Thorough draining and drying are necessary to remove the excess liquid that might make the brownies too wet.
- Prepare water bath: Chop the chocolate and cut the butter into small cubes. Place them in a small heatproof bowl. Fill a pan with hot water, about a quarter full. Place the heatproof bowl on top, and make sure that its bottom doesn’t touch the water.
- Melt the chocolate and the butter on very low heat, stirring, until the mixture is perfectly smooth (2). Alternatively, microwave on high on 30-second bursts, stirring in between. It will take 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Leave to cool slightly while you whisk the egg and sugar mixture.
- Whisk the eggs and the white and brown sugar with a hand mixer until thicker and creamy (3).
- Mix flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
- Stir 2 tablespoons of oil into the melted butter-chocolate mixture.
- Add the chocolate and the flour mixture to the beaten sugar and eggs. Mix in shortly on high speed.
- Fold in the cherries (4).
- Bake: Pour batter into the prepared tin (5) and bake for 24-28 minutes, depending on how you like them (6).
- Cool: Place the tin on a wire rack and let cool completely. Lift the chocolatey brownies out using the overhang parchment paper, cut into squares and serve.
How to tell if the brownies are done?
It depends very much on your oven and how juicy the fruit is.
- Shake the tin gently; if the brownie batter still wobbles in the middle, it’s not entirely done yet. Bake for another 3-4 minutes and check again. The top should have a slightly papery crust.
- If you bake the cherry brownies for about 24 minutes, they will be very moist and gooey, especially in the middle. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake will come out rather wet.
- After about 25-26 minutes, they will be a bit more set/fudgier, so you can eat them without smearing your face and fingers too much. A toothpick inserted in the middle will have some smears on it.
- More than that, they will be somewhat cakey but soft and delicious. A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out relatively clean with a few moist crumbs.
Recipe FAQ
Can I add chocolate chips?
Sure. Add some dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, about 50 g/ ⅓ cup. You can stir them into the batter; in this case, you might need to increase the baking time slightly (1-2 minutes). Or you can sprinkle them on top of the batter.
Can I use another baking dish?
If you don't have the typical square baking dish, you can bake the gooey brownies in a round springform or cake pan of about 23 cm/ 9-inches; the bake time will not change too much.
If you use a slightly larger rectangular pan, you will need to reduce the baking time as the batter will spread in a thinner layer. Make sure to check.
How to store?
Refrigerate in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Don’t leave them at room temperature for more than one or two days. I would typically not refrigerate brownies, but due to the cherries, they would spoil much faster if left outside the fridge, especially if the weather is hot.
Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cherry Brownies
An irresistible chocolate cherry brownies recipe made from scratch with chocolate, cocoa, and fresh cherries; this is the perfect summer brownie recipe, a fantastic variation for all brownie lovers.
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Servings: 16
Calories: 181kcal
Equipment
- Square baking tin 8 inch (20 cm)
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherries pitted and halved 150 g Note 2
- 2 oz dark chocolate 60 g, Note 3
- ½ cup unsalted butter 125 g, Note 4
- 2 tablespoons oil neutral-tasting, Note 5
- 3 eggs large
- ⅓ cup white sugar 60 g
- ⅓ cup brown sugar 60 g
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 75 g
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 50 g
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips 50 g, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line the baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang on two sides.
- Cherries: Pit and halve the cherries and set them aside.
- Chocolate-butter mixture: Chop the chocolate and cut butter into small cubes. Place them in a small heatproof bowl. Fill a pan with hot water, about a quarter full. Place the heatproof bowl on top, and make sure that its bottom doesn’t touch the water. Melt everything on very low heat, occasionally stirring (Note 6). Leave to cool slightly while you prepare the rest.
- Whisk the eggs and the white and brown sugar with a hand mixer until thicker and creamy.
- Mix flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
- Stir 2 tablespoons of oil into the melted butter-chocolate mixture.
- Combine batter: Add the chocolate and the flour mixture to the beaten sugar and eggs. Mix in shortly on high speed.
- Fold in the cherries. If using chocolate chips, fold them in as well. You can scatter a few more on the batter (Note 7).
- Bake: Pour batter into the prepared tin and bake for 24-28 minutes, depending on how you like them and your oven (See blog post).
- Cool: Place the tin on a wire rack and let cool completely. Lift the chocolatey brownies out using the overhang parchment paper, cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- Use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees for best results.
- If using frozen fruit, it must be defrosted and patted dry. If using canned fruit, drain it well and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Dark chocolate chips can be used instead, but I always think a chocolate slab tastes better. I use 70-80% dark chocolate.
- European-style butter is best; it contains more fat (82-86%) and makes baked goods richer.
- Neutral-tasting vegetable, canola, or avocado oil.
- Alternatively, microwave on high on 30-second bursts, stirring in between. It will take 1 to 1 ½ minute.
- If folding in some chocolate chips, you might need to increase the baking time slightly (1-2 minutes).
Nutrition
Serving: 1brownie | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
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