Black Forest Brownies are the perfect thick, fudgy, dark chocolate brownies with melty chocolate chunks and maraschino cherries throughout.
These Brownies are an elevated version of my classic brownies. Wow you guests with these, my Marshmallow Brownies, and my Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies.
Why You’ll Love These Brownies?
- They have all the same great flavor that you love from a Black Forest Cake but they are way less work to make.
- They have an impressive color and texture so they would look great at the bake sale!
Sabrina’s Black Forest Brownie Recipe
This delicious dessert recipe is inspired by Black Forest Cake, but made into a brownie recipe. Turning it into a brownie dish makes it easier to take to your next bake sale, potluck, or party. It’s the perfect portable chocolate dessert in a hurry. If you like the chocolate brownie flavor combined with cherries, then be sure to try Cherry Cheesecake Brownies next. Both recipes bring sweet and tangy fruit to the classic fudgy brownies.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons rum , optional
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- 1 cup maraschino cherries , patted dry, loosely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with baking spray.
- Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.
- Turn off the heat, add in the butter and cocoa powder.
- Whisk until completely blended.
- Pour mixture into large mixing bowl.
- Whisk in the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and rum until creamy.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
- Stir in chocolate chunks and maraschino cherries.
- Pour into a baking dish and spread evenly.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Baker’s Note
An extra step I like to take when I have the time is to coat the cherries and chocolate chunks in a light coating of either all purpose flour or cocoa powder in order to help them cling to the batter and not sink to the bottom of the pan. This will help the texture of your brownies and ensure sweet and juicy cherries in every bite!
Table of Contents
About This Recipe
A traditional black forest cake is a chocolate sponge cake with layers of cherry filling. Black Forest Brownies similarly have that perfect combination of cherries and chocolate. By mixing maraschino cherries and chocolate chunks into the traditional chocolate brownie recipe, you get an irresistible cherry chocolate combo made easy. This recipe is so much easier to throw together than assembling layers of cake. However, you can still dress up the dark chocolate brownies with toppings so they’re fit for a special occasion. Cherry brownies might be the most fudgy brownies you’ll ever make. The rich chocolate taste is perfectly paired with the sweet cherries and a bit of rum to add some complexity to the flavor.
Serving Ideas
- Drizzles or Frostings: Try adding a drizzle of Chocolate Ganache or simple chocolate sauce. You could even spread Cream Cheese Frosting over them after they’ve cooled.
- Sprinkle on Top: Dust some powdered sugar on top or add chocolate curls for a beautiful finish.
- Creamy Toppings: These brownies also taste great with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream.
How to Store
- Serve: Let the brownies cool before you slice and serve them.
- Store: For storage, you can cover the brownies in plastic wrap or transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll last for 3-4 days at room temperature or for up to 1 week in the fridge.
- Freeze: You can also freeze these gorgeous cherry brownies for up to 3 months. Slice them into squares, and put them in an airtight container separated by parchment paper so that they don’t stick together.
Variations
- Chocolate: You can use different kinds of chocolate chips as mix-ins with the brownie recipe. Try dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips to go along with the baking chips in the recipe.
- Fresh Cherries: Although I’ve used maraschino cherries in these decadent cherry brownies, you could also make them with fresh cherries. One of the problems with a fresh cherry filling is that fresh cherries usually have pits, which is not pleasant to bite down on in your brownies. So, you’ll either want to buy pitted cherries or remove the pits from the fresh cherries yourself.
- Cherry Pie Filling: Another option for your cherry flavoring in the recipe is using a canned cherry fruit pie filling. Instead of mixing the fresh cherry sauce directly into the brownie batter, spread a layer of it in the center. Pour half the batter into the pan, top that with the cherry pie filling, and then pour the rest of the batter over the top.
Related Recipes
More Brownie Recipes
These images were used in previous versions of this post:
These recipes taste so good you should try some.
If I substitute gluten free flour, what would be the temperature and time adjustment?