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.
Ingredients
- 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: both melted in the brownies and chunks throughout. At least 55%.
- Egg: sub a flax egg for a vegan version, with a slight textural change.
- Coconut Sugar: quite a lot, compared to most OE recipes, but needed here.
- Non-Dairy Milk: oat milk, or water.
- Vanilla: extract in this recipe – use half the amount of powder or paste.
- Spelt Flour: light or white spelt.
- Almond Flour: adds a great deal of richness and a nice subtle flavour. Sub hazelnut flour if preferred.
- Cocoa: for baking, not raw or drinking cacao. I use natural, not Dutch process.
- Sea Salt: this helps to mimic the flavour of salted butter.
- Baking Soda: the leavening agent – don’t mix this up for baking powder, you don’t want the brownies to rise too much.
- Strawberry Jam: my jam is simply strawberries, pureed and simmered (uncovered) until reduced by half.
- Strawberries: fresh berries add a bit of cuteness and a nice texture, but can be omitted.
Step by Step
Add chocolate and coconut oil to a saucepan. Gently melt over low heat. Cool before adding egg. Beat egg and chocolate mixture. Add coconut sugar and vanilla. Mix again until combined. Add dry ingredients and milk. Mix – it will look too dry. Keep mixing until well combined. Press the brownie batter into a baking tin. Top with the strawberry jam. Spread and swirl. Top with fresh berries. Bake for about half an hour. Cool, slice, and serve.
Notes and Substitutions
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.
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.
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.
As always, all-purpose (white) flour can be used in place of spelt. Cane sugar might really change the texture of the brownies as it contains more water than coconut sugar, but it might work.
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.
I really like these brownies straight out of the freezer on a hot day. They freeze really well and the texture is good, so you don’t necessarily need to wait for your brownie to thaw!
Strawberry Brownies
Dairy free strawberry brownies with a berry swirl and spelt almond flour base. Rich, sweet, and with a strong strawberry flavour!
Ingredients
- 100 grams (½ cup) dark chocolate, roughly chopped, divided*
- 60 grams (¼ cup) coconut oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature**
- 200 grams (1 cup) coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 110 grams (¾ cup) light (white) spelt flour
- 100 grams (1 cup) almond flour
- 50 grams (½ cup) cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 110 grams (⅓ cup) strawberry jam***
- Handful fresh strawberries, sliced, to top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) 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.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and add the egg. Beat with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the coconut sugar and vanilla to the bowl and whisk again to mix.
- Add the spelt flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, remaining chopped chocolate, salt, and baking soda to the bowl.
- 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.
- 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.
- Top with the sliced strawberries and a few more pieces of chocolate (optional).
- 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
* Sub chocolate chips or drops. Minimum 55% cocoa solids.
** A flax egg can be used for a vegan option. The texture will change but the brownies should be fine.
*** I made the jam pictured by pureeing strawberries and cooking down, uncovered, until reduced by half. Use store-bought or homemade strawberry jam if preferred.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 203mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 4gSugar: 14gProtein: 4g
This data is provided by a calculator and is a rough estimation of the nutritional information in this recipe.
This post was first shared in July 2016. It has been updated with improvements to the recipe as of July 2021.
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!