These heart shaped Valentine's M&M brownies are perfectly fudgy and studded with red, pink, and white M&Ms. They're the epitome of love at first bite!
These m&m brownies are so easy to whip up for Valentine's Day! Whether you make them for a party or just for you and that special someone, they're the perfect treat for spreading a little love. Cut them into regular squares or into hearts to make them extra festive!
For more Valentine's Day desserts, try Red Velvet Bundt Cake, Mini Flourless Chocolate Cake, Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies, and Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake.
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Why you'll love these M&M brownies
- Rich, Fudgy Texture: Thanks to the combination of melted chocolate and two types of cocoa powders, these brownies bake up super fudgy!
- Quick & Easy Method: Though an electric mixer is required for this recipe, the batter really does come together in no time, and the brownies bake for about half an hour.
- Festive Heart Shape: How can you say no to irresistible brownies cut out into a cute heart shape?!
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you'll find notes on why I chose certain ingredients, as well as ingredient substitutions.
- Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate: Use your favorite baking chocolate to add that fudgy texture and extra chocolate flavor!
- Unsalted Butter: Don't worry about bringing your butter to room temp, it will be melted with the chocolate.
- Sugars: You'll need both granulated and brown sugar.
- Egg: Bring your eggs to room temp quickly by placing it in a bowl of warm water.
- Vanilla Extract: A quality vanilla extract is essential to making the best brownies!
- All-Purpose Flour: You'll need about half a cup, but as usual, I recommend going by weight!
- Cocoa Powder: I highly recommend using a combination of dutch process and black cocoa powders for maximum fudgy, chocolatey goodness.
- Salt: Add a little in the batter to enhance the flavors, and finish the baked brownies with sea salt!
- M&Ms: Add some Valentine M&Ms to the batter and on top before baking to make them extra festive!
Kitchen Equipment
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1: Melt the chocolate & butter. In a small bowl, add the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Place over a small saucepan of simmering water, and stir often until fully melted. Remove from the double boiler and allow to cool for a few minutes.
STEP 2: Beat sugars & eggs. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture has doubled in size. Scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is properly combined.
STEP 3: Mix in the chocolate butter mixture. While mixing on low speed, slowly pour in the chocolate butter mixture.
STEP 4: Fold in the dry ingredients. Once it is fully combined, add the flour, cocoa powders, and salt, and fold until mostly combined.
STEP 5: Fold in the M&Ms. Lastly, fold in the M&Ms until evenly dispersed.
STEP 6: Pour batter into pan. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with an offset spatula.
STEP 7: Bake. Top with more M&Ms, if desired. Bake the brownies for about 35 minutes.
STEP 8: Cool. Allow them to cool completely in the pan before removing.
STEP 9: Cut out heart shaped brownies. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many hearts as you can. Alternatively, use a sharp knife to cut them into 16 squares.
STEP 10: Enjoy! Enjoy these fudgy heart shaped brownies at a Valentine's Day party or just between you and your loved ones 🙂
Expert Baking Tips
- Use a high-quality bittersweet chocolate. I recommend Valrhona or Guittard.
- Substitute for black cocoa powder. If you do not have black cocoa powder on hand, you can use a total of 84g (1 cup) dutch process cocoa powder instead.
- How to get a shiny top: Be sure to beat the sugars and eggs for a full 5-6 minutes! This is what will give the brownies that gorgeous shiny top.
- How to cut brownies: Use a heart cookie cutter to make heart shaped brownies. If cutting them into squares, use a sharp knife and run it under hot water (and wipe clean) before each cut.
FAQ
The secret ingredient for the ultimate fudgy brownies is melted chocolate! Adding both cocoa powder and melted chocolate ensures that your homemade brownies bake up ultra chocolatey and fudgy.
The best cocoa powder for making brownies is dutch process cocoa powder! Since dutch process is alkalized, it is neutral rather than acidic, and is far richer in flavor than regular cocoa powder. I also added a little bit of black cocoa powder to make them even richer!
Yes! You can either make these dairy free brownies or follow the recipe below and swap out the butter for 150g (¾ cup) olive oil or other neutral oil. Also, be sure to use dairy free chocolate!
Yes! Just swap the all-purpose flour for an equal amount of King Arthur Baking Co or Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour.
Storage Tips
Room Temperature: Store these brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Fridge: These brownies can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They don't last too much longer in the fridge, but they do become much denser and more fudge-like!
Freezer: For long-term storage, keep these brownies in a freezer ziplock for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other Valentine's Day Desserts to try
If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating & review below and post a picture (or video!) on Instagram and tag me so I can see your bakes! Not ready to make this recipe yet? Click the heart button on the right of your screen to save it for later 🙂
Print📖 Recipe
Valentine's M&M Brownies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 large heart brownies 1x
- Category: brownies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These heart shaped Valentine's M&M brownies are perfectly fudgy and studded with red, pink, and white M&Ms. They're the epitome of love at first bite!
Ingredients
- 85g (½ cup; 3 oz) bittersweet chocolate
- 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter
- 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 142g (⅔ cup) brown sugar
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 120g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 63g (¾ cup) dutch process cocoa powder
- 21g (¼ cup) black cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 170g (¾ cup) Valentine's M&Ms, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, add the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Place over a small saucepan of simmering water, and stir often until fully melted. Remove from the double boiler and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
- Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture has doubled in size. Scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is properly combined.
- While mixing on low speed, slowly pour in the chocolate butter mixture.
- Once it is fully combined, add the flour, cocoa powders, and salt, and fold until mostly combined.
- Lastly, fold in the M&Ms until evenly dispersed.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with an offset spatula. Top with more M&Ms, if desired.
- Bake the brownies for about 35 minutes.
- Allow them to cool completely in the pan before removing.
- Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many hearts as you can. Alternatively, use a sharp knife to cut them into 16 squares. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use a high-quality bittersweet chocolate. I recommend Valrhona or Guittard.
- Substitute for black cocoa powder. If you do not have black cocoa powder on hand, you can use a total of 84g (1 cup) dutch process cocoa powder instead.
- How to get a shiny top: Be sure to beat the sugars and eggs for a full 5-6 minutes! This is what will give the brownies that gorgeous shiny top.
- How to cut brownies: Use a heart cookie cutter to make heart shaped brownies. If cutting them into squares, use a sharp knife and run it under hot water (and wipe clean) before each cut.
Keywords: m&m brownies, valentine brownies, heart shaped brownies
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it turned out!