Easy 4th of July Brownies (Box Mix or From Scratch)

Looking for a patriotic red, white, and blue, show-stopping dessert idea for the 4th of July? These unique, easy Fourth of July Brownies taste amazing, look spectacular, but are completely manageable to pull off. No baking extraordinaire experience required and works with from scratch or box mix brownies.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

1 brownie recipe (yields enough for a 9X13 pan) homemade, boxed mix, or gluten-free brownies

Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting:

16 ounces cream cheese 2 blocks
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream or 2 cups Cool Whip
6-7 fresh strawberries washed and dried well
1 pint fresh blueberries washed and dried well

Instructions

Make your homemade brownies, gluten-free brownies according to directions or alternatively prepare a store bought brownie mix that yields enough for a 9X13 pan. Pour into a greased 15 X 11 inch jelly roll pan. Bake for 33-37 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool brownies completely.
In a small bowl beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
If using heavy cream, pour into a separate clean, large bowl. Beat on high until it holds shape and peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Fold the whipped cream (or Cool Whip) into cream cheese mixture until no streaks remain.
Set aside ¾ cup frosting if you wish to pipe a decorative edge. Dollop the remaining cream cheese frosting all over cooled brownies and then gently spread. TIP: Evenly dispersing dollops all over first will avoid spreading frosting around too much and pulling up brownie crumbs into frosting.

Decorating 4th of July Brownies

Cut the tops off the strawberries and then slice lengthwise. Use 5 best slices for each of strawberry "stars." Refer to recipe image for placement. TIP: Arrange the stars on brownies first before arranging blueberries. Place 1-2 blueberries in middle of strawberry "stars."
Use the remaining blueberries to arch "tails" from strawberry "stars," ending in one corner point. For best results, start at the "star" and line the the outline of the "tails" first, and then fill in with the rest of the blueberries. TIP: Only have blueberry “tails” coming from first and last “star.” Leave the middle “star” as is.
If decorating the edge, put remaining frosting in decorating bottle or piping bag. Pipe small swirls placed about 1 ½" apart around edge. Place a blueberry on top of each swirl. Refrigerate leftovers.

Notes

Baking Without a Jelly Roll Pan

You may use another size cookie sheet, but it should have at least a 1 inch edge. Please note, the baking times will differ if you use a bigger or smaller pan, though. A larger cookie sheet will need less time and yield a thinner brownie. Using a 9X13 pan will require a longer baking time and you will have a smaller area to decorate. You may also want to place 2 stars, instead of 3, if using a 9X13 pan.

Make Ahead Tips

Make the brownies and frosting ahead of time, but save the decorating until a few hours before serving. Prepare the brownies and frosting up to 24 hours ahead of time and refrigerate.

The strawberries will become mushy sitting that long, or the red white color will bleed together. For best results, decorate the brownies the day they will be served.

Storing and Freezing

Since the frosting contains cream cheese and heavy cream, you will want to refrigerate until ready to serve. However, they are fine to sit out up to 6-8 hours if the room isn't very warm. If sitting outside, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Leftovers may be sliced and stored in an airtight container. To stack, place sheets of parchment paper in between.

If you would like to freeze the brownies for longer storage, I recommend removing the fruit first. Wrap sliced brownies in plastic wrap, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze up to three months.

Nutrition