Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies

- November 03, 2012

If you love chocolate covered strawberries, these are for you!

Simple. Delicious. Pretty.

All of the necessary components for a successful adventure in the kitchen. ☺

I've seen these in chocolate cookie crusts but didn't think I would really care for that. I was flipping through my cookbooks and stumbled on this brownie recipe and decided I would prepare it this way instead. The brownies are rich and decadent and pair perfectly with the fresh strawberries.

As you can see they can be made in 2 (8 inch) baking dishes or in a standard 9 X 13 baking dish. It works best in a pan with high sides so the cream doesn't go places where it shouldn't.

For the brownies:

1 cup sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

4 eggs

12-14 ounces Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Add chocolate syrup; mix. Then add the salt and vanilla and mix again. Last add the flour, scrape down sides and mix thoroughly.

Spray a 9 X 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake @350° for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For the cream:

¾-1 lb. cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Beat the heavy cream till it is firm but not with stiff peaks. Set aside.

Melt the white chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a sturdy mixer beat the cream cheese and vanilla extract until they are fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and beat well. Last add the whipped cream and mix until smooth. (If the chocolate and the cream cheese are not almost the exact same temp. the chocolate hardens a bit and gives you chunky cream. Not a major issue but I like mine smooth.)

Spread onto the cooled brownies and push fresh strawberries into every available space. The strawberries should be washed, hulled, and set on their tops onto a tea towel to dry for several hours.

Drizzle with:

3 Tablespoons melted semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 Tablespoons melted white chocolate chips

It works best if you drizzle the semi sweet chocolate and wait till it is firm or hard before you drizzle the white chocolate.