Cream Cheese Brownie Recipe with Strawberries (2024)

FAQs

How to pimp brownies? ›

Add a teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder. Throw in a handful of nuts—pecans, walnuts, macadamia, whatever you have on hand. Scoop in a palmful of dried or frozen fruit. Add an extra splash of the top-shelf vanilla extract, or a dab of vanilla paste, or a dash of vanilla powder, to the batter.

Chewy brownies must be slightly under-baked. One of the top mistakes to avoid when making brownies is waiting until there's no more crumbs on the toothpick to pull the pan from the oven. By that point they're close to over-baked, and you will lose out on that chewiness you want.

Chill out for a while

The Oregonian relays cookbook author Alice Medrich's advice on her tried and true method of achieving a wonderful, shiny brownie top: chill your brownie batter. Medrich's trick is to refrigerate the prepared brownie batter overnight and up to three days before you bake it.

If you want to get a little more creative with your brownie mix hacks, add an extra egg to the batter. The extra protein will help thicken up the batter and make it fluffier, creating a more decadent, fudgy texture. You can also add the yolk by itself in addition to the 2 eggs a box brownie mix typically calls for.

You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit. You might not ever go back to oil!

If you want a fudgy chocolate brownie, use melted butter. For cakey brownies, beating softened butter and sugar together to create air pockets will make your brownies lighter and cakier.

Lesson three: melted butter Because melted butter has already released much of its water content, it makes the finished treats soft and dense, as well as flavourful. Use it in loaves and brownies. Use it in: loaves and brownies.

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Does refrigerating brownie batter make it better? ›

When placed in an airtight container or Ziploc bag, the batter can be kept in the fridge overnight and still be safe to enjoy in the morning. In addition to keeping your brownie mix fresh, refrigerating brownie batter can also help boost the overall texture and flavor of the treat.

The trick: Replace the water with coffee. You don't need much, generally ¼ to ⅓ cup. We already know that adding espresso and coffee flavor to chocolate desserts supercharges chocolate flavor, and the same principle applies here. Using coffee in your brownie mix will result in better, more chocolaty brownies.

If your self-control will allow it, we highly recommend eating your homemade brownies the day after you've baked them. Unlike most baked goods, chocolate brownies actually taste better the next day. It's thought the cooling time allows the flavours to meld together and lock in.

The first and easiest upgrade you can give to your boxed brownie mix is to add a tablespoon of instant coffee to the batter. Adding coffee to your brownies boosts their flavor because its bitter quality balances out sweetness, making it less overpowering. It allows that delicious chocolate flavor to really shine.

Add an extra egg to your brownie batter to make more cake-like brownies. There are directions on the back of the box.

A. You sure can. Using butter or margarine will make your brownies slightly richer with a bit of "dairy" taste. If you use margarine, you'll need to bake the brownies 2 minutes longer.