Brownie Hearts
It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day in my house without time in the kitchen with Samuel, my delicious 8 year old. Brownie Hearts are the perfect combination of quick, easy and delicious loaded with lots of pink and white, too.
I had a bunch of peppermint baking chips left over from the December holiday season and, immediately, thought that Brownie Hearts would be a great way to show off the pink and white colors.
I used Budge’s Brownies as the base. Rather than folding all the chips into the batter, I alternated layers of brownie batter with baking chips, ending with the chips on top.
Cutting the brownies into hearts is not a requirement, but let’s face it, this IS Valentine’s Day for which I am writing. Samuel loved cutting out the hearts with a cookie cutter. I think he ate as many pieces of Brownie Hearts scraps as he cut. Then again, if it were I cutting the hearts out, I would have done the exact same thing.
If you are not able to find the peppermint baking chips, don’t worry about it. There are so many beautiful pink and white and/or red and white candies that will work just as nicely. Worse case scenario, skip the pink and white element all together and you still end up with Brownie Hearts.
Whether you’re baking with an 8 year old or not, Brownie Hearts are a surefire way to say, I Love You! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Watch it:
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| Brownie Hearts | Print |
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups peppermint baking chips, optional
- For the brownie hearts:
- Preheat the oven to 325º. Spray 9” x 13” baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Microwave the chocolate and butter together until melted. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Place the eggs and pinch of salt into a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 20 seconds. Add the sugar. Mix on low speed until combined. While the mixer is on, add ½ of the chocolate mixture. Combine. Add ½ of the flour mixture. Add the vanilla. Alternate again until the remaining chocolate and flour mixtures have been thoroughly incorporated.
- Spread ½ of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of peppermint chips over the batter. Spread the remaining batter over the chips. Sprinkle the remaining chips over the top and use the back of a spoon to gently press them into the batter.
- Bake at 325º for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
- Once cool, use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut into Brownie Hearts.
- Betsy's tidbits:
- Brownie Hearts are delicious cold but may, also, be served at room temperature.
- Any pink and white or red and white candy may be used as a substitute for the peppermint baking chips. If you strike out on all fronts, simply eliminate this step and you will still have delicious Brownie Hearts.
- The number of servings will vary depending on the size of the heart shaped cookie cutter.
