Easy Valentine's Heart Brownies with Brownie Mix
These Valentine’s Day Brownies start with a box mix, but I promise you’d never know it! My method makes them rich, fudgy, and bakery-worthy, which is exactly why people come to me for gluten-free desserts that actually taste amazing. It's the perfect easy treat for beginner bakers (and so fun to make with kids!) because there’s no complicated technique, just an easy heart-shaped frosted brownie that looks impressive every time.
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix I used TruEats gluten free brownie mix
- Ingredients listed on your brownie mix box to prepare (I use 1 egg, ½ cup avocado oil, and ¾ cup coffee instead of water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
For the Ganache
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 6 tablespoons butter or vegan butter for dairy free
- ½ cup whole milk or non dairy milk for dairy free
For the Frosting
- Vanilla frosting I used Miss Jones dairy free frosting
- Red Gel food coloring
For Decorating
- Heart sprinkles / Valentine sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat and prep the pan. Preheat the oven according to your brownie mix box directions and line your baking pan with parchment paper (this is the easiest way to lift out the baked brownies cleanly).
- Mix the brownie batter. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer if you prefer), combine the brownie mix with the eggs, oil, and water (or coffee), plus a splash of vanilla extract if desired; mix just until combined to avoid cakey brownies. *Note: don't forget to use the ingredients your specific brownie mix calls for if you're not using the brand I use.
- Bake the brownies. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake until set according to package instructions; use a cake tester to check doneness (you want moist crumbs, not wet batter).
- Cool completely. Let brownies cool to room temperature before cutting; warm brownies will crumble and you’ll lose the heart shape.
- Cut into hearts. Lift the cooled brownies out and place on a cutting board, then press a cookie cutter into the brownies to create heart-shaped brownies.
- Make the chocolate ganache (optional). Add chocolate chips and butter to a heat-safe bowl, warm the milk until steaming (not boiling), then pour over the chocolate mixture; let sit for 2–3 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy (if it’s too thick, stir in a tiny splash of warm milk; if it’s too thin, let it sit for a few minutes to thicken as it cools).
- Make the pink frosting (optional). Tint vanilla frosting with gel food coloring or natural food dye until you reach your desired pink shade, then spread on top of the brownie hearts or pipe on using a piping bag.
- Decorate and serve. Spoon ganache over the top of the brownies or frost them, then finish with Valentine sprinkles.
Notes
Expert Tips & Tricks for Perfect Valentine’s Day Brownies
- Use parchment paper every time. Lining your baking pan with parchment paper makes it easy to lift out the baked brownies.
- Do not overmix the brownie batter. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing. Overmixing can make brownies more cake-like instead of giving you fudgy brownies.
- Swap coffee for water for richer flavor. If your brownie mix calls for water, using coffee gives deeper chocolate flavor without making the brownies taste like coffee.
- Do not overbake. The best valentine brownies have moist crumbs on the cake tester, not a clean toothpick. Overbaking is the fastest way to get dry brownies.
- Cool completely before using a cookie cutter. Cooled brownies cut cleanly. Warm brownies crumble and you’ll lose that cute heart-shaped brownies look.
- Tip: Press straight down, don’t twist the cookie cutter. Twisting can tear the edges and make the heart-shaped brownies look messy instead of clean and sharp.
- Want clean hearts? Choose the right cutter. A cookie cutter with sharper edges gives cleaner brownie hearts than flimsy plastic ones.
- Ganache consistency matters. When making chocolate ganache, let the warm milk (or warmed heavy cream) sit on the chocolate chips for a couple minutes before stirring. If it’s too thick, add a splash of warm milk. If it’s too thin, let it cool for a few minutes.
- Use gel food coloring for frosting. Gel gives bold pink color without thinning the frosting like liquid food coloring can (perfect for that perfect Valentine look).
- Decorate while ganache is still warm. Sprinkle valentine sprinkles on top right away so they stick to the top of the brownie instead of sliding off later.
- Make it dairy-free if needed. Use dairy-free chocolates for the ganache and swap butter for vegan butter. The final result is still rich and delicious.
How to Store Valentine’s Day Brownies
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days
- Or refrigerate for up to 5 days (just let them sit for 10 minutes before eating for best fudgy texture)
Tried this recipe?Mention @prettydeliciouslife or tag #PDLrecipes!