Strawberry brownies are a special summer treat, and even more so this year as our strawberry plants are producing so well three years after first planting. Now in early summer, we’re collecting enough (from two small patches, about 3m2) to fill a large soup bowl every evening.
An easy spelt and almond flour brownie batter is topped with both strawberry jam and fresh berries, for a sweet seasonal treat. The base is made with coconut sugar, dark chocolate, and cocoa powder, for a very flavourful dessert all around.
The strawberries topping the brownies dry out slightly during baking, for a beautiful look and pleasant slightly chewy texture. If you want to make these when berries are out of season (with stored jam) simply leave the fresh berries out.
The jam is incorporated into the brownie batter as it bakes, and is hardly noticeable after baking – to look at, that is. The flavour is strongly strawberry and pairs very well with the dark chocolate of the brownies.
If you also have lots of strawberries to use, try a summer strawberry salad with matching strawberry vinaigrette, easy vegan strawberry milk, or healthier gluten-free strawberry crumble bars. They’re one of the easiest plants to grow in small spaces and so worth growing at home.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Coconut oil: it must be an oil that’s solid at room temperature for this recipe. Use refined if you want to avoid any tiny hint of coconut flavour.
- Dark chocolate: for the best results, the chocolate should be at least 55% cocoa solids. This can be bar chocolate but baking chocolate will taste best.
- Egg: sub a flax egg for a vegan version, with a slight textural change.
- Coconut Sugar: subbing in cane sugar will change the texture of the brownies as it contains more water than coconut sugar, but it might work.
- Spelt flour: light (sifted) or white spelt. As usual, all-purpose (white) flour can be used in place of spelt.
- Almond flour: hazelnut flour is a good substitute for almond. Make your own in a food processor by grinding until a fine meal forms.
- Strawberry jam: my jam is simply unsweetened strawberries, pureed and simmered (uncovered) until reduced by half.
Step by Step
Step 1: melt the chocolate and oil, then cool before adding the egg.
Step 2: whisk to combine until smooth and glossy.
Step 3: add the sugar and vanilla and mix again.
Step 4: mix in the dry ingredients. The brownie batter will be quite dense and seem dry.
Step 5: press the batter into a square baking tin.
Step 6: top with the jam and swirl.
Step 7: top with strawberry pieces and extra chocolate.
Step 8: bake for about half an hour before cooling and serving.
Recipe Notes
It is tricky to swirl the jam into the brownie batter as it’s so thick, but don’t worry – it’ll incorporate during baking. You’re more swirling it over the batter than into it.
The milk is added with the dry ingredients rather than to the chocolate to mitigate a chance of the chocolate seizing. If cold non-dairy milk or water is added to melted chocolate, usually it’ll seize up.
Oat flour can probably be used in place of the spelt, but I haven’t tried this. You can try using this almond flour brownie recipe and add strawberry jam for something similar if you need a ready-made GF version.
Use store-bought or regular homemade strawberry jam to top the brownies if preferred. As mentioned above, I made mine by reducing strawberry puree until thick, but didn’t measure the berries beforehand, so I can’t give exact instructions on that.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days. These are best stored in the cold to prevent the berries from spoiling.
Freezing: store the brownies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month. These are very good served from frozen.
Expert Tips
- Use lightly sweetened jam: if you can take the time to make your own unsweetened jam, it’s perfect here as it’s not as sweet. If using store-bought, try to choose a brand that isn’t heavily sweetened.
- Choose ripe berries: the smaller and darker the strawberries are, the sweeter and stronger the berry flavour will be.
- Don’t worry about how thick the batter is: this is a thick batter and it’s meant to be! That’s what makes for the excellent brownie texture after baking, fudgey and with a slightly crackled top.
More Chocolate Recipes
Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars
Double Chocolate Chickpea Flour Cookies
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Bars
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Strawberry Brownies
Ingredients
- 100 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped, divided*
- 60 grams coconut oil
- 1 large egg room temperature**
- 200 grams coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 110 grams light (white) spelt flour
- 100 grams almond flour
- 50 grams cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 110 grams strawberry jam***
- Handful fresh strawberries sliced, to top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a square 20cm (8-inch) baking tin with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add 50g (¼ cup) of the chopped chocolate to a small saucepan with the coconut oil. Gently heat until melted and set aside to cool to room temperature.100 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped, divided*, 60 grams coconut oil
- Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and add the egg. Beat with a whisk until well combined.1 large egg
- Add the coconut sugar and vanilla to the bowl and whisk again to mix.200 grams coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the spelt flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, remaining chopped chocolate, salt, and baking soda to the bowl.100 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped, divided*, 110 grams light (white) spelt flour, 100 grams almond flour, 50 grams cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix, adding the milk once the dry ingredients are starting to incorporate. The batter will be very thick – keep mixing until it’s homogenous looking.2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- Press the brownie batter into the prepared baking tin into as even a layer as possible.
- Top the batter with the strawberry jam, and use the back of a spoon to spread and swirl over the brownies. It won’t mix into the batter but that’s fine.110 grams strawberry jam***
- Top with the sliced strawberries and a few more pieces of chocolate (optional).Handful fresh strawberries
- Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges feel firm to the touch. The centre will still be quite soft.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes before lifting out with the parchment and cooling fully. Slice into about 16 squares and serve.
- Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container to prevent the strawberries spoiling. The brownies freeze very well and can be eaten straight from the freezer.
Notes
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
This post was first shared in July 2016. It has been updated with improvements to the recipe as of July 2021.
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Rebecca says
Hi, there is no strawberry jam listed in your recipe ingredients, only the mashed strawberries which you add into the mix, but your words at the top describe swirling strawberry jam through the top. Can you check this? Thanks.
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Rebecca, my website was updated with a new design and we had some link issues – this was redirecting to an old version of the recipe and it’s been changed. You should see the new recipe reflected in the post now, sorry for the mix-up!