Heart Shaped Brownies with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream
Heart Shaped Brownies with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream are the perfect Valentine (or any time!) brownies. Fudgy, decadent brownies sandwich a creamy homemade buttercream flavored with real raspberries. I’m in love!
Every time I make these Heart Shaped Brownies with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream, our girls go crazy.
But really, what’s not to love?
Fudgy, decadent brownies sandwich a sweet and creamy homemade buttercream frosting flavored with real raspberries. It’s a match made in heaven, the perfect Valentine brownies!
“Okay. I just died and went to heaven with the raspberry frosting! Seriously! My most favorite flavor is caramel, but I think I just found my new favorite! Thank you!”
Kay
If I had to choose just one dessert as my favorite, it would have to be a fudgy, chewy brownie.
And when you throw in some berries…well, I’m a goner.
I like to make these brownies because I know how much our daughters adore them. But it’s true. I like them, too!
The fresh raspberry buttercream tips these heart brownies over the top when it comes to special Valentine’s Day treats.
The frosting is bright and tangy, full of real raspberry flavor. And the vibrant pink color is compliments of the beautiful red raspberry alone. No artificial color is added.
Heart Shaped Brownies
I use cookie cutters to create the heart shaped brownies. With this recipe, I can make six larger brownie sandwiches, plus a number of smaller ones. Sometimes I choose to make a whole pan of smaller heart sandwiches, a nice size for a smaller piece of dessert.
After the brownies are cut out, I pipe the raspberry buttercream (with this piping tip) over one heart and gently press a second heart over the top.
Then I give the tops of the chocolate brownie hearts a little dusting of powdered sugar with a powdered sugar shaker. This not only adds pretty detail, but also helps to hide any imperfections made when cutting the brownies.
If you’re looking for a fun and super flavorful dessert for Valentine’s Day, give these brownies a try. They’re visually impressive, yet comforting like only a brownie knows how to be. Just ask the girls in this house. We’re in love.
Like this recipe? Save it to Pinterest!
Looking for more Valentine’s Day treats? These Yeast Donuts with Fresh Raspberry Glaze are lovely. Chocolate Mousse Cups are always a hit. And this recipe for Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake for Two is quick and easy, and so very good!
And here are a few treats I’d love to try! Red Velvet Cherry Dream Bars from 365 Days of Baking & More look so very fun. And this Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake from TidyMom has my name written all over it!
Heart Shaped Brownies with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream
Fudgy, decadent brownies sandwich a creamy homemade buttercream flavored with real raspberries, the perfect Valentine (or any time!) brownies!
Ingredients
for the brownies:
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, diced
- 3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
- 1-1/2 c. sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
- powdered sugar, to sprinkle on the finished brownie hearts
for the fresh raspberry buttercream:
- 12 oz. raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3-1/2 c. powdered sugar
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- for the brownies: Preheat oven to 325° F. Fold a long piece of heavy foil into a 13" wide strip and fit it inside a 9" x 13" metal baking pan, leaving foil overhang on the 2 long sides. Spray the foil lightly with nonstick spray. Set pan aside.
- In a large heavy saucepan over very low heat, stir butter and chocolate until everything is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, and then the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Then sift the flour over the chocolate mixture and stir to blend well. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
- Bake brownies until slightly puffed and dry-looking and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter attached, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack.
- for the fresh raspberry buttercream: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the raspberries, stirring frequently, until the raspberries are broken down into a very loose sauce. Line a fine mesh strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth, and then pour the raspberry sauce through to remove the seeds. To get all the raspberry juice possible, twist up the ends of the cheesecloth very tightly and press on the raspberry sauce with the back side of a large wooden spoon to extract the juice. Then pour the raspberry juice back in the pot. Simmer until the juice reduces to 1/4 cup. The juice will be very concentrated, deep red in color. Set aside to cool.
- With a stand mixer, cream the butter with a paddle attachment on medium high speed about 2 minutes, until butter is lightened in color and a bit fluffy. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, the 1/4 cup of cooled raspberry sauce, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until smooth. Add another 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Fit a pastry bag with a medium-large round tip (I use a this tip) and fill with fresh raspberry buttercream.
- to create the brownie hearts: Run a knife around the inside edge of the brownie pan. Use the overhanging foil as an aid and gently lift the brownies from the pan. The brownies should be about 1/2" thick, so ensure that your cookie cutter is taller than 1/2". Press heart-shaped cookie cutters (the cookie cutters used in my photos measure 3" wide and 1-1/2" wide) firmly into the cooled brownie. Use a thin metal spatula to lift the cookie cutter filled with brownie from the foil. Gently press the brownie out of the cookie cutter. Repeat the cutting process until your brownie looks like a big piece of Swiss cheese. (Don't throw away the scraps, they're awesome little nibbles!)
- With the pastry bag filled with fresh raspberry buttercream, pipe a line of frosting around the inside edge of one of the brownie hearts. Then fill in the inside of the line with frosting, too. Top with another brownie heart, gently pressing down to make a sandwich. Repeat until all your brownie hearts are completed.
- To finish, sprinkle the brownie hearts with powdered sugar. I like to fill a powdered sugar shaker with powdered sugar and gently tap the side to let the powdered sugar rain down.
With the heart-shaped cookie cutters I use, I can make six large brownie heart sandwiches, plus several smaller ones. Or I can make about 20 of the smaller brownie heart sandwiches.
Notes
from a farmgirl's dabbles
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 463Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 95mgCarbohydrates: 75gFiber: 2gSugar: 64gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
This post was previously published in 2012. Some of the photographs and some of the text were updated in 2019.
Thank you for this recipe! We have a cake sale on Friday and will be baking some of these to take in and sell… the children will love them.
Brownies look so yummy! Thanks for the recipe, Brenda! Wondering if I can substitute the instant espresso powder for regular instant coffee maybe? Don’t drink espresso so I don’t have instant espresso powder! Thank you!
Do I have to use espresso powder? I don’t like coffee. Would it be okay to just leave it out?
Hi Emily. You can surely omit the espresso powder. But I think you should try it – this ingredient really helps to deepen the chocolate flavor. Try using a smaller amount at first, if you like.
I have been wanting to make these for a long time and when I finally did I ran into one problem after annother. For one the fresh raspberries that I simmered for over half an hour on medium heat just ended up being a thick, unstrainable paste. This recipe doesent Aucall for any water or sugar. But out of desperation I ended up adding 1/4 cup of water and it FINALLY strained. When I added it to the creamed butter and sugar it died it pink but it tasted like gross butter and sugar paste. I was eventually able to doctor it up with some raspberry jam but this recipe was definately missing crucial ingredients like water for instance. I don’t think I will make this again and i was surprised how long it took me to make just the sauce, not to mention the brownies.
Hello;
I’m from Turkey and I have a website about food recipes. A few days ago I was searching for a valentines day recipe and found your web site from google search. I saw the Fudgy Brownie Hearts with Raspberry Butter Cream recipe. I baked it and put both on my website and instagram. Thanks for the recipe. They taste as great as they look.
With love from Turkey,
Irem Gungor
I made these yesterday and they came out amazing! I have been eating them non-stop ever since. I was especially nervous about the raspberry buttercream, but it came out surprisingly well too! Your recipe is amazing. Thank you so much for posting it! I’ll definitely be making these again. :)
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know!
What if i dont have fresh or frozenstrawberry or raspberry.?can i use strawberry syrup or crush.?
Hi, these look wonderful! Do the raspberries need to be thawed prior to using?
Thank you, Sara! No need to thaw the raspberries.
These look amazing! I have heard that espresso powder really enhances the chocolate flavor, but I wasn’t able to find it locally. Will they still be chocolatey if I leave it out? Thanks!
Hi Ashley! Yes, they will still be chocolatey. The espresso just deepens the flavor. I am adding it to more and more of my chocolate baked goods all the time!
I just found your blog tonight after finding you on Google + in the food bloggers group I’m in. I am already pinning away! These look AMAZING! I think I’d be right there with you saying mmm with these. I’m going to make these soon, converting to gluten-free. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Michelle! So nice to meet you! :)
I just made a double batch of these treats and they are absolutely fabulous! I used a high quality chocolate and found the perfect cookie cutter (thanks for mentioning the height–that saved me). These will be a Valentine tradition in my family.
Just a question: you called for 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, but in the instructions you only say to mix in 2 1/2 cups. Typo?
Hi Megan – this is what the recipe says: “Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, the 1/4 cup of cooled raspberry sauce, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until smooth. Add another 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.” It’s all there! :)
Love this! I’m the process of making a batch myself for my sweetheart :) a few tweaks…and peanutbutter buttercream in place of the raspberry – he’s going to love it ! Thanks for posting !
Wonderful to hear that, Caitlin! Hope you liked them!
Hi I tried this recipe today because it looked so good and I loved it for Valentine but it didnt work with me :-( I left the brownies about 20 Min. in the oven even little bit more but when I tried to cut them they were sticking on the foil and the batter was not baked still raw. What happend? also when I tried cutting them with the cookie cutter the crust broke and it looked ugly. ‘Please help me !!!
I’m sorry to hear you had troubles, Laura. I’ve made these a couple times, plus I’ve heard from friends who have made them, and I’ve seen other bloggers make and feature this recipe on their own sites – you’re the first I’ve heard that the brownies didn’t work. I would double-check your ingredients and quantities. Did you spray your foil? Did you use unsweetened chocolate, per the recipe? I did try making these with sweetened chocolate in my trial baking and they did not cut as cleanly. But even with the unsweetened chocolate, they are not going to cut 100% perfectly. There will be a little bit of breakage, but it’s pretty minimal. That’s what the powdered sugar sprinkle is for, to make them look all pretty AND to hide any of that cutting imperfection! Best wishes with your next batch, please let me know how it goes.
Wow! These look delicious! I will definitely make these. Cheers!
Thanks, Heather! I know a couple friends who were making this today, to surprise their family with tomorrow on Valentine’s Day. What a treat!
Came across these on Pinterest, and thought they looked amazing! So I picked up the things I needed at the store today and gave it a shot. Ohmydang they are to die for! They disappeared in minutes! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Yaaaaaayyyyy! Thank you so much for letting me know. So happy you liked them!! :)
Hello!! These look amazing and I have 2 questions.. :)
Can I use cherry instead of raspberry and is the buttercream very sweet considering the amount of shugar?
Thank you!!
Hello! Although I have not made this with cherries, I would surely not be afraid to try it…sounds delicious! Just be sure to cook it down until it’s syrupy and just 1/4 cup. The buttercream is quite sweet, with a very bright fruity tanginess. Best wishes!
I tried making this about a week ago but the buttercream ended up so runny! I followed the recipe correctly, I don’t understand why this happened! I would love to try again though, such a yummy idea!!
I’m sorry to hear that, Nicole. I thought it was just the perfect consistency – nice and light and whippy. Did you reduce the raspberry to just 1/4 cup, so it was rather thickened and super concentrated? I don’t know what else to tell you, other than to just make sure the correct quantities are used next time. Best wishes!!
OH MY GOSH I completely forgot a whole paragraph of instructions! I missed the entire section on making the raspberry sauce. That’s a great excuse for me to try again! :)
Whew, I’m glad to hear there’s a good explanation for it!! Best wishes! :)
This is absolutely ADORABLE!! I’m putting together a section of recipes for LOVE month on my site … http://www.wikimommy.com … and I would love to feature this!! Please email me ro (at) wikimommy (dot) com and let me know if I may re-post this on my site. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks, Ro!
Wow!! I just found my heart cookie cutter today in the back of my cooking tools drawer. I am so going to use it to make these yummy looking treats.
Yay! Please let me know what you think!