If you haven't tried strawberry brownies with cream cheese frosting, then you're in for an amazing treat! Not only are they easy to make thanks to using box strawberry cake mix, you'll also love how dense, moist, and delicious they are!
These lovely pink brownies have the best 3-ingredient cream cheese frosting that's the perfect final touch! Made with cream cheese, powdered sugar, and pureed fresh strawberries.
Since you only need a few strawberries for the cream cheese frosting, you could use the leftover strawberries to make my Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie or these Chocolate Covered Strawberries (not just for February!).
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Reasons to Love Them
You'll love these Strawberry Brownies because of their sweet strawberry flavor, they're easy-to-make with only 7 ingredients (make-ahead friendly, too), and have the best cream cheese frosting!
The texture is just like a brownie, meaning they're dense and moist (fudgy). They don't contain any chocolate, but you could always toss in white chocolate chips to the batter or mini chocolate chips (if you love that strawberry-chocolate flavor combo).
They're a special treat for date night, kids' parties, office gatherings, and holidays (not just for Valentine's Day!!). You can treat yourself to strawberry brownies any day of the year, honey!
Do's and Don'ts
Strawberry Brownies with Cake Mix is the easiest recipe, but there are some things to keep in mind!
- Don't be tempted to add pureed strawberries to the batter (like I did the first time I made them)! They will add too much liquid to the batter and you'll end up with cake instead of brownies (believe me, I did it!).
- Do line your baking pan with parchment paper for the easiest brownie removal.
- Don't overmix the batter; this causes the brownies to get dry.
- Do use a food processor or food chopper to puree the fresh strawberries! This will bring out the natural liquid of the strawberries, making the frosting nice and creamy.
- Do store the cooled brownies in the refrigerator to keep the cream cheese frosting fresh.
Ingredients You'll Need
Four brownie ingredients.
Three frosting ingredients.
Strawberry Cake Mix - not all boxed cake mixes contain the same amount of cake mix. Look for the 15.25 oz box. I like Pillsbury Moist Supreme. I also use strawberry cake mix for these amazing 4-ingredient strawberry cookies!
Butter - use real butter for the best flavor!
Eggs - for easier blending, you could slightly beat the eggs with a fork in a small bowl before using them.
Granulated Sugar - only ¼ cup of sugar is needed to add a little more sweetness to the brownies.
Fresh Strawberries - a few fresh strawberries are needed for the frosting; use the remaining strawberries for garnish before serving them.
Powdered Sugar - the main ingredient for the frosting!
Cream Cheese - the small amount of cream cheese added to the powdered sugar gives the frosting a richer, creamier consistency!
How to Make Strawberry Brownies
Here's a quick overview of the instructions. Just be sure the follow the recipe card when you make them!
Step 1 - soften the butter in the microwave (no need to melt it!).
Step 2 - add the cake mix, sugar, and eggs to the butter and blend for less than 1 minute.
Step 3 - spread the batter into a 9x9-inch pan, and bake as directed.
Step 4 - allow the brownies to completely cool off
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Step 5 - puree 3-4 strawberries in a food processor. Place 1 tablespoon of strawberry puree, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Blend with an electric mixture until nice and creamy.
Step 6 - spread strawberry cream cheese frosting on top of the brownies.
Optional: garnish with fresh strawberry halves or slices just before serving!
Make-ahead Tips
You can make these brownies 1-2 days before you plan to eat them! Just bake as directed, frost them, and place them in an airtight container. Store in your refrigerator; let them come to room temperature before serving. Then feel free to garnish with fresh strawberries (a nice touch but not necessary!).
To make the process even easier (whether for refrigerator or freezer storage), I like this 9x9-inch baking pan (Amazon link) that has a lid and is also freezer friendly! You can bake the brownies in it, frost them, put the lid on (without messing up the frosting), and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.
Recipe Variations
Add-ins: white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon strawberry extract or vanila extract in the batter.
Toppings: Top frosted brownies with multi-color sprinkles or pink and white sprinkles for Valentines' Day. Crumble freeze-dried strawberries on top of the frosted brownies. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy for a Christmas treat.
Questions People Ask
Listed below are 3 of the top frequently asked questions people have:
Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Yes! Place the brownies in a ziptop bag and seal it. Then place into another ziptop bag. Seal it and write the date on it. Freeze for up to 3 months.
These brownies already have wonderful strawberry flavor, but if you feel you must add more strawberry flavor, you could add a teaspoon of strawberry extract.
More Brownie Recipes
Check out 4 more brownie favorites!
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If you tried this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment! I'd love to hear from you.
Recipe
Strawberry Brownies
Equipment
- measuring cup(s)
- measuring spoons
- electric hand mixer
- food processor
Ingredients
BROWNIES
- 8 tablespoon cold butter, cut into 8 equal pieces (8 tablespoon = 1 stick of butter)
- 15.25 oz box strawberry cake mix (I use Pillsbury Moist Supreme)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened·
- 1 cup 1 cup powdered sugar
- fresh strawberries - some for the frosting and some for garnish
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper, letting the longer edges hang over the sides. Lightly spray bottom and sides with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, add the butter chunks. Cook on high for 30 seconds to soften the butter. If more time is needed, add additional 10-second increments until the butter is softened. The butter does not have to be completely melted but be soft enough to blend. Don't let the butter boil.
- Add the cake mix, sugar, and eggs. Blend on low with an electric mixer just until blended (less than 1 minute). FYI the mixture will be thick.
- Evenly spread the batter into the pan. Smooth it out as best you can.
- Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the brownies – the key to a fudgy brownie is to remove them right before the edges start to turn brown. For my oven, that was at the 20-minute mark, but your oven may cook slightly different. You can test for doneness when a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out clean with no gooey batter stuck on it.
- Place the baking pan on a cooling rack and let it cool for 5 minutes; then lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper handles. Place the brownies onto the cooling rack to completely cool off.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- When the brownies are cooled off, make the strawberry frosting: Puree 3-4 strawberries in a food processor (the strawberries should be in very small pieces). Place 1 tablespoon of strawberry puree, cream cheee, and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Blend with an electric mixture until nice and creamy.
- Spread the frosting on top of the brownies. Cut into 16 squares. Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired. Enjoy your strawberry brownies!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
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