Heart Shaped Brownies

5 from 8 votes

These fudgy Heart Shaped Brownies are rich, chocolatey brownies flavored with nutty brown butter. They have thin crinkly tops and are topped with mocha buttercream frosting. They are super cute and delicious!

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Total Time55

Course: Brownies

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: brownies

Calories: 278kcal

Author: Natalie

Equipment

Mixing bowls
Hand mixer
9 by 13 inch Rectangular Cake Pan
Heart shaped cookie cutters
1 M Piping Tip or another open star piping tip
Heart shaped cookie cutters

Ingredients

Brownies

10 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
¾ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mocha Buttercream Frosting (optional)

5½ tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
1⅓ cups powdered sugar sifted, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon Dutch processed cocoa powder sifted, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon espresso powder optional
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ tablespoon heavy cream optional, swap in milk or leave it out
freeze dried raspberry powder or strawberry powder optional, for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Brownies

Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper leaving enough to hang from the sides. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Finely chop the chocolate. Set aside.
You can make these brownies with melted butter or brown butter.
To melt the butter: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat.
To brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium, light-colored saucepan over low heat. Once melted, stir frequently while it foams and bubbles and deepens in color. Once the butter smells nutty and the bits on the bottom are medium brown, remove from the heat.
Stir the chocolate into the brown butter until the chocolate has melted. Whisk in the sugars. Whisk in the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla. Use a spatula to stir the salt and flour into the chocolate mixture. Stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean with only a few crumbs when inserted in the middle of the bownies. Place pan on a wire rack and allow brownies to cool completely in the pan.
Once the brownies have cooled, run a knife along the edge of the pan to unstick the brownies. Gently lift the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper overhang. Use any size heart shaped cookie cutter. Be sure the cookie cutter is at least as thick as the brownies. Cut out as many hearts as possible. Carefully press the brownies out of the cookie cutter.
Pipe or spread mocha frosting on the hearts. For piping, use an open star tip.

Mocha Buttercream Frosting (optional)

Sift the cocoa powder, espresso powder and powdered sugar through a sieve over a bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature butter on medium speed until creamy, about 4 minutes.
Slowly beat in the powdered sugar mixture. Mix in the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat til creamy and combined.
Add extra powdered sugar if frosting is too thin. Add a little extra heavy cream if the frosting seems to thick.
For an optional decoration, dust the frosted brownies with a mix of espresso powder and cocoa powder, freeze dried raspberry or strawberry powder, or powdered sugar.

Notes

Brown butter: Brown butter gives these brownies a rich depth of flavor. It only takes a few extra minutes to brown the butter, but you can use melted butter if you prefer. Use a light colored pan if possible as this will help you better notice the butter change color.

Cookie cutter: Use any size heart-shaped cookie cutter. Be sure the cookie cutter is at least 1/2 inch thick. I usually use a 2.5 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. I end up with 15 brownies plus about 20 1-inch "brownie balls" when I roll the scraps in balls.

Brownie scraps: You'll end up with scraps after cutting out the brownies. You can eat them as is or roll them into brownie balls!

Cut the brownies once cool: It's important to let brownies cool completely before cutting them. If you cut them before they're cool, they'll fall apart.

Topping for frosting: You can dust the frosted brownies with a mix of espresso powder and cocoa powder, freeze dried raspberry or strawberry powder, or powdered sugar.

More Decorating Ideas: For a simpler version, skip the frosting and fold 1 cup (175g) Valentine's M&Ms into the batter before baking. Use about ¾ cup mixed into the batter and press the remaining ¼ cup on top for a colorful Valentine's treat. You can also skip the frosting and skip the M&Ms. Enjoy brownies plain or lightly press some sprinkles onto the tops of the brownies after cutting them into heart shapes!

Storage: Store brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They are best served at room temperature. To freeze unfrosted brownies, place cut brownies in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment between layers. Freeze up to 3 months.

Nutrition