My friend showed up at book club last spring with a container from the grocery store bakery and said "try these before they're gone." She'd been buying their chocolate cherry brownies every week because her husband wouldn't stop asking for them. I grabbed one and got it - rich chocolate, cherries that weren't too sweet, actually fudgy texture instead of that dry cake thing. Next day I picked up my own container to see what was in them. Johnny wanted to make our own, so we spent the next month testing recipes.
Why You'll Love These Chocolate Cherry Brownies
After making these probably thirty times in the past year, I know exactly why they work. The chocolate and cherry thing isn't weird once you try it - it's basically a chocolate covered cherry in brownie form. You get that fudgy texture people actually want, not the dry cake thing most brownie recipes turn into.
Johnny's friends ask when we're making these again. We've brought them to potlucks, birthday parties, and made them on random Wednesdays when we just wanted chocolate. They're rich enough that one piece fills you up, but you don't feel sick after eating them. The cherries add little tart bursts that balance out all that chocolate. And you can mix everything in one bowl and have them baking in fifteen minutes.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- How To Make Chocolate Cherry Brownies Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- Tasty Variations on Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- equipement for Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- Storing Your Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- Why This Chocolate Cherry Brownies Recipe Works
- Top Tip
- Aunt Rachel's Brownie Secret
- FAQ
- Time to Bake Your Own!
- Related
- Pairing
- Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry Brownies
For the Brownie Base:
- Unsalted butter
- Dark chocolate chips
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder
- Salt
For the Cherry Mix:
- Fresh or frozen cherries
- Maraschino cherries
- Cherry juice
Optional Add-Ins:
- White chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts
- Sea salt for topping
- Extra chocolate chunks
How To Make Chocolate Cherry Brownies Step By Step
Prepare Your Pan and Oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line 9x13 pan with parchment paper
- Let parchment hang over edges for easy removal
- Light spray of cooking oil
Melt the Chocolate Base
- Melt butter and chocolate chips together
- Microwave in 30-second bursts or use double boiler
- Stir until completely smooth
- Let cool for 5 minutes
Mix Your Wet Ingredients
- Whisk both sugars into melted chocolate
- Add eggs one at a time
- Stir in vanilla extract
- Mix until glossy and thick
Add the Dry Stuff
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt
- Fold into chocolate mixture gently
- Don't overmix or brownies get tough
- Stop when you don't see flour streaks
Fold in the Cherries
- Pat cherries completely dry with paper towels
- Chop into small pieces
- Fold gently into batter
- Save some for topping
Bake to Fudgy Perfection
- Pour batter into prepared pan
- Smooth top with spatula
- Scatter remaining cherries on top
- Bake 25-30 minutes until edges set but center jiggles slightly
Cool Completely
- Let cool in pan for 30 minutes
- Use parchment to lift out entire block
- Cool another 30 minutes before cutting
- Cut with sharp knife wiped clean between cuts
Smart Swaps for Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Cherry Options:
- Fresh cherries → Frozen (thawed and drained)
- Dark cherries → Maraschino (less fancy)
- Whole cherries → Dried cherries (chopped)
- Real cherries → Cherry pie filling (in a pinch)
Chocolate Swaps:
- Dark chocolate → Semi-sweet chips
- Chips → Chopped chocolate bar
- High-quality → Budget chocolate (still works)
- Regular cocoa → Dutch-process cocoa
Sugar Alternatives:
- White sugar → All brown sugar (chewier)
- Both sugars → Just granulated (less moist)
- Regular → Coconut sugar (different flavor)
Dietary Needs:
- Butter → Coconut oil
- Eggs → Flax eggs (3 tablespoons water per egg)
- Wheat flour → Gluten-free blend
- Regular → Vegan chocolate chips
Tasty Variations on Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Black Forest Style:
- Add mini chocolate chips throughout
- Mix in 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Top with whipped cream when serving
- Shaved chocolate on top
Double Cherry Bomb:
- Use both fresh and dried cherries
- Add cherry extract to batter
- Drizzle with cherry glaze after cooling
- Extra cherry pieces on top
White Chocolate Cherry:
- Fold in white chocolate chips
- Reduce dark chocolate slightly
- Creates sweet-tart contrast
- Looks pretty with the cherries
Nutty Cherry Fudge:
- Add chopped walnuts or pecans
- Toast nuts first for better flavor
- Mix half in batter, half on top
- Adds nice crunch
equipement for Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- 9x13 baking pan
- Mixing bowls (2-3)
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Parchment paper
Storing Your Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Counter Storage (3-4 days):
- Cool completely first
- Airtight container with tight lid
- Layer parchment between stacked brownies
- Keep away from heat and sunlight
Fridge Storage (1 week):
- Wrap individual pieces in plastic
- Store in container or zip bag
- Let come to room temp before eating
- Warm for 10 seconds in microwave
Freezer Storage (3 months):
- Wrap pieces individually in foil
- Place in freezer bag
- Label with date
- Thaw at room temp for an hour
Make-Ahead Tips:
- Bake and freeze unfrosted
- Cut after thawing for cleaner edges
- Tastes fresh when properly wrapped
- Perfect for surprise guests
Why This Chocolate Cherry Brownies Recipe Works
From making these at least thirty times, I've figured out exactly what makes them turn out right. The ratio of butter to chocolate to flour is the whole game - more fat than flour creates that fudgy texture instead of cake. Using both melted chocolate and cocoa powder gives you deeper chocolate flavor that can handle the tart cherries without getting lost. The cherries need to be completely dry before mixing in, otherwise they sink to the bottom and create soggy spots. Chopping them small and patting them dry means every bite has both chocolate and cherry.
The trickiest part is knowing when to pull them from the oven. These chocolate cherry brownies look underdone when they're actually perfect - the center should jiggle and a toothpick should have moist crumbs, not come out clean. They keep cooking as they cool down, so what looks too soft in the oven becomes perfectly fudgy on the counter. Wait too long and you end up with chocolate cake instead of brownies. Johnny learned this the hard way when he insisted we bake them "just five more minutes" and we got brownies you could use as frisbees.
Top Tip
- My sister told me something last year that completely changed how these chocolate cherry brownies turn out. She'd been making them for her bakery customers for months and never mentioned this until I asked why hers were always fudgier than mine. Turns out, she adds a tablespoon of corn syrup to the batter.
- "It keeps them from drying out," she explained when I finally caught her doing it. The corn syrup doesn't make them taste sweet or weird - it just locks in moisture so they stay fudgy for days instead of turning into hockey pucks by day three. Now Johnny and I add it every single time, and people always comment on how our brownies stay soft.
- Her other trick was even simpler. She always uses a toothpick to swirl some cherry juice into the batter right before baking. Just a few drops here and there, swirled with a toothpick to create these little pockets of intense cherry flavor. It looks fancy when you cut into them, but it takes about ten seconds to do. Sometimes the easiest tricks make the biggest difference.
Aunt Rachel's Brownie Secret
My aunt has been making Chocolate Cherry Brownies for her church bake sales for fifteen years, and hers always sell out first. I'd been begging her for the recipe, and she kept saying "it's just a regular recipe, nothing special." Last Thanksgiving, I finally caught her in the kitchen adding something to the batter that wasn't in any recipe I'd seen.
She was melting a handful of dark chocolate chips with the butter, but then she added two tablespoons of strong coffee. Not coffee flavor extract - actual brewed coffee. "The coffee makes the chocolate taste more like chocolate," she admitted when I asked what she was doing. You can't taste coffee at all in the finished chocolate cherry brownies, but somehow they taste richer and more chocolatey than when we skip it. Now Johnny and I always add it, and people swear we're using expensive fancy chocolate when it's just regular chips from the grocery store.
FAQ
Can I put cherries in brownies?
Yes, cherries work great in brownies. Just make sure to pat them completely dry first so they don't make the batter too wet. Chop them into smaller pieces so they distribute evenly throughout the chocolate cherry brownies instead of sinking to the bottom.
Can I add fruit to my brownie mix?
You can add fruit to brownie mix, but wet fruits need prep first. Drain canned fruit well, pat fresh fruit dry, and toss with flour before mixing in. Dried fruit works easiest since it won't add extra moisture that makes brownies cakey instead of fudgy.
Do chocolate and cherry go together?
Chocolate and cherry pair perfectly the tartness of cherries cuts through rich chocolate and keeps it from being too heavy. It's the same flavor combo as chocolate-covered cherries or black forest cake. The contrast makes both flavors taste stronger than they would alone.
What is the secret to the fudgy brownies?
Three things make fudgy brownies: more fat than flour, pull them from the oven when center still jiggles, and let them cool completely before cutting. Underbaking slightly and using both butter and chocolate creates that dense, fudgy texture instead of cake.
Time to Bake Your Own!
Now you've got everything you need to make chocolate cherry brownies that beat anything from the store bakery. From my friend's recommendation to my sister's corn syrup trick, this recipe proves homemade is worth the extra effort.
Want more crowd-pleasers for your table? Try our Healthy Garlic Bread Recipe that pairs perfectly with any meal. Craving something hearty? Our Delicious Beef Stew Recipe is comfort in a bowl. Or switch things up with our The Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe that turns ground beef into something special!
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Pairing
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Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat and line the baking pan to get ready for batter.
- Melt butter and chocolate together until smooth and let it cool slightly.
- Whisk sugars, then eggs and vanilla, stir gently with dry mix.
- Pat cherries dry, chop, and fold into batter; save some for topping.
- Bake until edges set and center jiggles, then cool fully before cutting.
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