These Cranberry Brownies are made with dark chocolate, fresh and dried cranberries, and dark chocolate covered cranberries! If you love the tangy flavor of cranberries, you’ll love this unique brownie recipe.
How do you feel about cranberries? I know for some, it’s not a great relationship, but then there’s the folks who can’t have Thanksgiving without a few big spoonful of cranberry sauce on the plate (I’m looking at you, Pop Pop!).
I’m sort of in between. I don’t love cranberry sauce on my Thanksgiving dinner, but I absolutely love cranberries in baked goods! There’s something about the super tart bite of cranberries and the way it plays with sweet flavors…it’s irresistible as a baker, and especially as someone that loves to put contrasting flavors together.
Last year, I made a couple treats that inspired me to keep baking with cranberries. The first was this Cranberry Brie Tart with Pancetta & Thyme. It’s gooey and cheesy and the cranberries fit in so nicely and brighten up the earthy brie and smoky pancetta – this is a perfect holiday appetizer. I also made Double Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies, which made me fall in love with the dark chocolate and cranberry combination.
As soon as I saw cranberries in the grocery store again this year, I grabbed them, ready to start recipe developing. I have an addiction to brownies, so that seemed like the perfect place the start.
I got a little crazy with the cranberries in these. I added fresh cranberries, dried cranberries, AND dark chocolate covered cranberries. All tucked in to my favorite gooey fudge brownie recipe, there was definitely cranberry flavor in every bite.
What I loved about these, though, is the varying textures and flavors of the cranberries. A bite with the fresh cranberries had that sharper tartness mixed with the rich chocolate, the dried cranberries were a bit sweeter and added some chew, and the chocolate covered cranberries added more texture to the brownies.
I also added a few cranberries sprinkled on top…because look how pretty it looks! I couldn’t resist. I adore the pop of red, and of course, they add a whole bunch of flavor too.
The brownies themselves are super fudgy. They’re made with a whole bunch of dark chocolate, and only a little bit of flour. They’re ooey and gooey and luscious.
These would be a wonderful addition to a holiday baking platter, or bring a batch of them to a potluck or cookie exchange. This recipe only makes an 8×8″ pan of brownies, but it doubles easily if you want to make a bigger batch in a 9×13″ pan. Enjoy!
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Cranberry Brownies
Save Print Prep time 10 mins Cook time 30 mins Total time 40 mins Author: Rachel Conners Serves: 16 brownies Ingredients - 6 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (5¼ oz.) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (2 oz.) light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup (2¾ oz.) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chocolate covered cranberries (or substitute with chocolate chips)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line with parchment and lightly grease an 8x8” baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
- Put the chocolate and butter in a large glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, and repeat until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined. The mixture should be room temperature.
- Add 2 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible. Fold in the chocolate covered cranberries and fresh cranberries.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached.
- Cool brownies completely before cutting into 16 equal squares with a very sharp knife.
- Brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Hungry for more? Check out some of my similar recipes!
Double Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Raspberry Mint Brownies
Cranberry Brie Tart with Pancetta & Thyme
Cranberry Crumb Bars
Ultimate Gluten Free Fudge Brownies
Peppermint Oreo Fudge Brownies
