Everyone knows brownies, that delicious chocolate cake-fudge mash-up that you love to tuck into lunch boxes or sneak as a midnight snack. But, did you know you can freeze brownies? True story… with a very happy ending.
Imagine baking brownies one day but enjoying them for weeks on end. You can when you learn the different ways to freeze brownies, whether they’re Cocoa Brownies or Peppermint Brownie Bites.
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It’s happened before. You bake brownies. And they’re wonderful. Even the Butternut Squash Brownies.
But as wonderful as eating the whole pan in one sitting is, it’s not typically the wisest choice one can make. Why not freeze brownies to enjoy later instead of gorging on them in one go?
Why Do This
You extend the shelf-life. While you might have no problem eating the whole pan, you might enjoy it more if you stretched it out over a week or two. Freezing brownies allows you to extend their shelf life, buying you time and avoiding food waste in one fell swoop.
You can bake more at one time. Knowing that you can freeze what you bake means you can bake a lot at one time when it’s convenient for you and enjoy it later when you don’t have time to bake.
They slice better. When you slice freshly baked brownies, their edges are likely to tear and crumble. When you freeze a full slab of brownies, you can more easily slice them with clean edges. This allows you to make pretty trays of Christmas cookies or displays for Tea Time.
Frozen brownies taste the best! Yep, it’s a well-kept secret, but brownies straight from the freezer are pretty delightful, especially on a hot summer day.
Methods
Freeze the whole slab.
Once you’ve baked the brownies, allow the slab to cool on a wire rack until completely cool. Wrap the full slab in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
For best results, slip the slab into a ziptop freezer bag. (You can even buy a 2-gallon bag to hold 9×13-inch slabs)
Then store the wrapped slab of brownies in the freezer.
Freeze them in an airtight container
If you prefer, you can slice the brownies and arrange them in an airtight container with a lid. I like to line the container with deli wraps or parchment paper to prevent frost adhering to the brownies. Cover loosely with paper and secure the lid.
Then store the container in the freezer.
Freeze individually wrapped brownies.
To make it easier to pack brownies for work or school, you can wrap them individually and tuck them into a labeled, ziptop freezer bag.
Then store the bag in the freezer.
Freeze the brownie mix
You can also freeze the brownies as a mix. While this isn’t as convenient for eating as fully-baked brownies, making homemade baking mixes can save you a lot of time and money.
Freezing the mix, especially if you use any whole grain flours, will extend its shelf life, but it isn’t crucial to store the mix in the freezer.
Thawing Instructions
Remove the brownies from the freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature. If you need to slice them, do so before they are completely thawed, for the smoothest cuts.
FAQs
You can freeze frosted brownies, but you do run the risk of the frosting smearing when one touches another. To avoid this, freeze the open pan of cooled and frosted brownies. Once the frosting is very firm, wrap it up tightly and store in the fridge. To thaw, unwrap the package right away and allow to thaw in the refrigerator.
If the frosting is made with cream cheese, it’s best to be refrigerated. If it’s a butter-based frosting, it should be fine at room temperature for a day or two, unless the weather is warm. That said, cold frosted brownies tastes best.
Brownies are often considered a soft type of bar cookie. They can be stored with other soft cookies. When stored with hard cookies, the texture of both cookies suffers. If either the brownie or the other type of cookie is flavored with peppermint, do not store them together as the peppermint flavor will be absorbed by the other.
More Freezing Tips
How to Freeze Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ingredients for your favorite brownies
Instructions
- Prepare the brownie recipes and bake according to recipe instructions. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- You can freeze the brownies as a full slab or in pieces. To freeze the slab, wrap it well with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in a large ziptop bag. To freeze the squares of brownies, place them in an airtight freezer container, separating layers with parchment paper, or wrap each piece with plastic wrap and place them in a ziptop freezer bag.
- Label the package well with the date and the name of the recipe. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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