Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites are mini brownies filled with chocolate chips, maraschino cherries and then topped with a cherry flavored cream cheese frosting! Simple brownie recipe that starts with a box of brownie mix.
Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites are every bit as delicious as they sound! I absolutely love the chocolate/cherry flavor combination and I also love super easy treats that can be made quickly. You could definitely use your favorite homemade brownie recipe for this if you want, but you can also choose to simplify things and use a mix – either way, this recipe will taste delicious.
I also have really come to love making bite-sized treats – not only are they super cute and easy to serve (anyone else dislike trying to cut brownies out of a pan and make them look presentable?!), but they are perfectly sized at just the right serving size. It’s very easy to control your portion size when your dessert is pre-portioned. Unless of course, you eat 6 of them like some people I know!
How to keep the brownies from sticking to the pan
One little trick to baking in mini muffin tins though – if you don’t grease the pan well, you may have trouble getting your treats out of the pan with out destroying them. A few years ago, I started using Baker’s Joy Baking Spray every time I use muffin tins or bundt pans. It has flour in the spray so it does an amazing job of ensuring that your creation does not get stuck in the pan! There is nothing more frustrating than making an amazing dessert and then destroying it while trying to serve it because it gets stuck in the pan!!!
Ingredients in Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites
Brownie Mix
Make sure to use a brownie mix that is meant for a 9X13 pan. Add the eggs, water and oil according to package directions. I like to use coconut oil when I’m baking, but you can use whatever type of oil you usually use (canola, vegetable, etc.).
Maraschino Cherries
You will need a 10-oz jar of cherries. It’s easier to buy the ones without stems because that will save you the trouble of removing the stems! Make sure that the cherries are well drained. Drain them in a strainer and make sure to reserve the juice so that you can use it in the frosting. Once I drain the cherries in a strainer, I usually lay them out on a few paper towels to dry off a bit more- the paper towels will absorb any of the excess juice on the cherries.
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
You can use milk chocolate chips or even dark chocolate chips instead, but I prefer the taste of semi-sweet in this recipe.
Cherry Frosting
To make the frosting, you will need butter and cream cheese that have been softened to room temperature, powdered sugar and some of the reserved maraschino cherry juice that you saved when you drained the cherries.
How to make Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites
- Mix brownie mix according to package directions with the required oil, eggs and water. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter into a well-greased mini muffin pan. (I usually can make about 30 so you may need to fill a little bit of a second pan.)
- Bake brownie bites at 350° for about 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Immediately after removing the brownie bites from the oven, press an indention into each one, using the back of a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon. While the brownies are still warm, place 3 semi-sweet chocolate chips into each center. Let the chocolate chips sit for a few minutes until softened, then gently press a maraschino cherry on top of the melted chocolate in the center.
- Let brownies cool completely and then make the frosting.
How to make Cherry Frosting
- To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar. Once the mixture is well combined, add the reserved cherry juice and beat until smooth. If the frosting is a little bit too thick, you can add a little bit more juice. If you don’t think the flavor is strong enough, you can add a little bit of cherry extract too.
- Frost the brownie bites and enjoy! (I used this Wilton Dessert Decorator for the frosting, but you can just frost them with a knife or place the frosting in a Ziplock bag and cut a small opening in one of the bottom corners to squeeze the frosting out of.)
CHOCOLATE CHERRY BROWNIE BITES
Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites are mini brownies filled with chocolate chips, maraschino cherries and then topped with a cherry flavored cream cheese frosting!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 24
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix 9X13 size
- eggs according to package directions
- water according to package directions
- oil according to package directions – I used coconut oil!
- 1 – 10 oz. jar maraschino cherries drained (reserve juice for frosting)
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 5 Tbsp butter softened to room temperature
- 3 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp reserved maraschino cherry juice
Instructions
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Mix brownie mix according to package directions with the required oil, eggs and water. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter into a well-greased mini muffin pan. (I usually can make about 30 so you may need to fill a little bit of a second pan.)
-
Bake brownie bites at 350° for about 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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Immediately after removing the brownie bites from the oven, press an indention into each one, using the back of a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon. While the brownies are still warm, place 3 semi-sweet chocolate chips into each center. Let the chocolate chips sit for a few minutes until softened, then gently press a maraschino cherry on top of the melted chocolate in the center.
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Let brownies cool completely and then make the frosting. To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar. Once the mixture is well combined, add the reserved cherry juice and beat until smooth. Frost the brownie bites and enjoy! (I used this Wilton Dessert Decorator for the frosting, but you can just frost them with knife or place the frosting in a Ziplock bag and cut a small opening in one of the bottom corners to squeeze the frosting out of.)
How do you soften cream cheese?
Cream cheese is easy to soften – you can set it out at room temperature or soften it more quickly in the microwave.
-To soften at room temperature more quickly, just set the cream cheese on a plate and cut into smaller pieces. The cream cheese should reach room temperature in about 15-20 minutes with this method.
-To soften the cream cheese in the microwave, remove the foil packaging and set the cream cheese in a small bowl or on a plate. Microwave for about 10-15 seconds. If the cream cheese is still cold and hard, continue to microwave for about 5 seconds at a time until the cream cheese is soft throughout. Just make sure not to microwave it too long or it will start to melt!
How do you soften butter to room temperature?
The best way to soften butter is to set it out for a few hours before you make your cookies. Since most of us (or maybe just me!) aren’t that prepared or don’t think that far in advance, there are a few tricks to softening butter perfectly in just a matter of minutes. My favorite way to soften butter is in the microwave. It’s definitely fast, but you do have to be very careful not to melt it. Just put the whole stick of butter in the microwave (as long as it isn’t wrapped in foil!) and microwave for about 6-7 seconds. If the butter is still really cold, try another 5-7 seconds and check it again. You may need a few intervals, and if the butter is starting to feel soft, you can shorten the final interval to just a few seconds to make sure it doesn’t start melting.
I actually prefer to use the defrost setting on my microwave – I don’t know exactly what that mode does differently, and it takes a little bit longer (closer to 30 seconds), but it seems to be easier to get the butter to soften without melting.
Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites are mini brownies filled with chocolate chips, maraschino cherries and then topped with a cherry flavored cream cheese frosting! Simple brownie recipe that starts with a box of brownie mix.
