Easter brownies are a rich, chocolatey holiday treat! Top them with your favourite seasonal goodies like fondant eggs or Easter marshmallows. This is a great way to use leftover candy, too.
For some more cute holiday treats, try our candy-filled Easter rocky road, adorable Easter bunny cupcakes, and pretty flower cookies. All great to make with kids!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Dark chocolate: We use Callebaut brand dark chocolate callets for these brownies. Callebaut is a high-quality chocolate brand, and the flattened shape of the callets helps them melt quickly. It needs to be about 60% (see more below).
- Cocoa powder: use unsweetened cocoa powder, not drink powder. It can be natural or Dutch process for this recipe.
- Easter candy: You can use any Easter candy you like. We used a mix of bunny marshmallows, Easter M&Ms, chocolate candy eggs, and Cadbury crème eggs.
- Make it dairy-free: use a good vegan butter in stick or block form.
Method
Step 1: Add the butter and chocolate to a heat-proof vessel and microwave until melted. You can also use a small pot on the stove top if you prefer.
Step 2: Stir together the melted butter and chocolate until smooth. Set aside
Step 3: Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Step 4: In a second bowl, use an electric hand mixer or a whisk to mix the eggs and sugars until smooth and creamy.
Step 5: Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and mix until well combined.
Step 6: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir gently by hand until the flour is just mixed in.
Step 7: Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
Step 8: Bake the brownies partway, then remove them from the oven and top with the Easter candy. Bake 2 to 3 minutes more for the candy to settle into the brownies then cool on a rack before slicing and serving.
Top Tips
- Measure carefully: for the best and most accurate results, use an oven thermometer and a digital kitchen scale.
- Use a mix of toppings: while you can add just marshmallows or Creme eggs, a mix not only looks the most festive, it's also nice to have a variation in terms of taste and texture.
- Press them in: when you add the candy toppings, you can press them into the par-baked brownies gently for better adhesion.
Recipe Notes
It will take a minute or two of stirring for the melted butter and melted chocolate to come together into a smooth, chocolatey mixture.
You may feel like the flour will never mix with the wet ingredients but don't worry. Just keep folding and stirring gently and it will eventually mix in.
You will notice in the photos the brownies are quite thin. This is because we bake them in a brownie pan. If you're not familiar, a brownie pan is a small 7x11-inch (18x28-cm) rectangle pan with high sides. If you like a slightly thicker brownie, bake the batter in an 8-inch (20-cm) square pan for about 23 to 25 minutes before adding the candy toppings.
How to Store
Storage: Easter brownies are best eaten fresh, the day they're made, due to the candy toppings. They can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to two days or refrigerated for up to five.
Freezing: transfer fully cooled brownies to an airtight container and freeze for up to a month.
FAQ
Why is it called a brownie?
Brownie simply refers to the brown colour of the dessert, as it's made with cocoa and/or chocolate.
What makes brownies fudgy?
Brownies that are higher in fat - that use more butter, or oil - will have a fudgier texture than those that are comparatively low in fat.
Is it better to use butter or oil for brownies?
Depends on the texture you want. Oil will make for a fudgier, chewier brownie, and butter can make it a bit more cake-like, depending on the other ingredients and quantities.
If you make this Easter Brownies recipe or any other Easter recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Easter Brownies
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Brownie pan
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl or a glass measuring cup, must be microwave/heat safe
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Hand mixer
- Rubber spatula or wood spoon
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup dark chocolate callets or finely chopped dark chocolate
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup Easter candy or chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly spray a brownie pan with baking spray and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the butter and dark chocolate callets in a heat-safe glass measuring cup or bowl.
- Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes (length of time is dependent on the power of your microwave).
- Stir the melted butter and chocolate together until smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Use a hand mixer to mix the sugars, eggs, and vanilla until thick and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour the melted butter-chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and continue to mix until no streaks of egg remain.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl.
- Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and gently fold the wet and dry ingredients until the flour is just mixed in. It will seem like it takes a while, however it will mix in!
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It should settle into the pan on its own, however, you can smooth it into an even layer if needed.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake the brownies for 15 to 16 minutes.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire cooling rack. Sprinkle the Easter candy evenly across the top of the brownies.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake the brownies for 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it back on the wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.