Heart Shaped Brownies with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

Wow your sweetie with these cute, heart-shaped brownies this Valentine’s Day – or enjoy the contrast of rich chocolate and tart raspberry buttercream with friends and family! We used local frozen Adam’s Berry Farm raspberries – yum!

A close up of a heart shaped brownie, with a layer of red cream in the middle, and topped with a raspberry. behind it, and out of focus, are more brownies!

Prep Time

45 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Yield

12 Servings

Ingredients

Brownies

1⁄2 cup butter, unsalted
3 ounces chocolate, unsweetened (chopped)
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
3 egg (large)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons espresso (instant powder)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1⁄4 teaspoon salt, kosher
3⁄4 cup flour, all-purpose
  sugar, powdered (to sprinkle on finished brownies)
  raspberries (a few to top the brownies as desired )

Buttercream

12 ounces raspberries (fresh or frozen - try local from Adam's Berry Farm!)
1⁄2 cup butter, unsalted
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 1⁄2 cups sugar, powdered (plus more for topping)
  vanilla (a splash)
  salt, kosher (a pinch)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, allowing foil to overhang on the long sides of the pan (this will allow you to pull the whole thing out of the pan at the end). Spray the foil lightly with nonstick spray.

In a medium heavy saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, and then the eggs, one at a time until completely smooth. Whisk in espresso powder, vanilla, and salt, then add the flour. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely in pan on rack.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the raspberries until they form a thick, glossy jam. Set a small portion aside in a separate bowl, and allow the larger portion to cool.

With a stand mixer, cream the butter with a paddle attachment on medium high speed until fluffy. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, the cooled larger portion of raspberry jam, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Mix until smooth. Add another 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

Remove brownies from the pan using the foil “handles”. Press heart-shaped cookie cutters into the cooled brownie and lift out (the brownies will be sticky, so work carefully). Cut a smaller heart out of the center of ½ of the larger hearts.

Using a knife, spatula, or filled pastry bag, spread raspberry frosting on the solid hearts, then top with a brownie with the hearts punched out. Leave the smaller heart open to show the frosting, or fill with the reserved raspberry jam or fresh raspberries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!