Name: Heart-Shaped Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 2 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup special dark cocoa powder, (see note); 1/4 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp salt

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This recipe for heart-shaped brownies will yield deliciously rich, tender brownies that are perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Heart-Shaped Brownies

I love these heart-shaped brownies not just for their adorable appearance, but also the ease with which they come together.

The French don’t really know how to make American brownies, even though it’s so incredibly easy as shown by this recipe.

I think it’s just the texture they can’t quite create. If you tell them to make chocolate soufflés, no problem! But tell them to make American brownies, and the end result just isn’t quite like ours.

I have a favorite brownie recipe that I use, where I melt butter and chocolate chips. It’s fudgy and delicious, but I’ve been known to run out of both butter and chocolate chips from time to time, which is why I turn to this recipe as well.

These heart-shaped brownies come together with cocoa powder and vegetable oil. It’s nice to have an alternative recipe for those times you’re out of stock in butter or chocolate chips.

I thought it would be helpful to share this easy, one-bowl recipe with you guys, and what better way to do it than with a simple Valentine’s Day idea to demonstrate it.

To create the heart shapes, I used simple cookie cutters to cut out my desired shapes. Rather than bake these brownies in a typical 9″x9″ square pan, I baked them in a quarter sheet pan (9″x13″).

This creates a thinner brownie which makes cutting them out much easier.

I highly recommend using a sheet of parchment paper to line your baking sheet to make cutting out the brownies at the end easy peasy.

You’ll also want to make sure your brownies have completely cooled before cutting them out so you can get clean, neat shapes.

Optionally, you can brush on some chocolate ganache and let it set over the brownies, or dust some powdered sugar on them.

To watch how I made these, check out my highlighted Instagram story and make sure you follow me there too so you don’t miss out on fun tutorials!):

Heart-Shaped Brownies

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Rich, moist brownies made with cocoa powder and vegetable oil. Cut out into heart shapes for Valentine's Day. Recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup special dark cocoa powder, (see note)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a quarter sheet pan (9"x13") with parchment paper. You can use office binder clips to clamp the parchment paper taut against the sides of the baking sheet. Otherwise, you can use softened butter to grease the sheet very well, but note that you will need to use a spatula to help you wedge the brownies out of the pan still once they've finished baking.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and oil together until combined. Add in the eggs and give the mixture a whisk to incorporate the eggs. Add the vanilla and give it a quick whisk to combine.
Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk everything together until it's all blended together and you've got a smooth batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet, using a rubber spatula to scrap the batter out of the bowl and smooth out the batter in the baking sheet. You want one even layer.
Bake the brownies for 20 minutes. Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool completely. Once cool, use 3" to 3.5" heart-shaped cutters to cut out 6 hearts from the brownie sheet.