4th of July Brownies

Make these 4th of July Brownies to celebrate Independence Day in style! These patriotic brownies have a classic chocolate brownie taste and fudgy texture, and surely both kids and adults will love the red, white, and blue frosting.

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why this is the best 4th of July Brownies recipe
• 📝  Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 🍫 Flavor Variations & Substitutions
• 🎓 Expert tips
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🇺🇸 More 4th of July Recipes
• 4th of July Brownies

🌟 Why this is the best 4th of July Brownies recipe

1. Their taste: I never compromise on taste, and these red, white, blue brownies taste just as good as they look. There's certainly no brownie mix here; it's all home-baked goodness. Skip store-bought brownies this 4th of July and make this easy from scratch recipe.
2. They're so easy: This 4th July brownie recipe is easy, too! No one needs a complex recipe when you have parties to plan. I only use simple ingredients and pantry staples, with no fancy equipment, either.
3. They're patriotic: This has to be one of the best patriotic dessert recipes to make for a 4th of July party. Adding red, white, and blue brownie frosting makes them so fun, and I'm certain the Founding Fathers would have enjoyed them 😉
4. They're portable: You can easily take these 4th of July brownies to summer parties or BBQs as a gift for hosts if you are not the one holding the party this year!

📝  Ingredient notes

For the Brownies

1. Chocolate Chips: It is vital to use good-quality chocolate in these easy patriotic brownies for optimum taste and texture. Use semi-sweet quality chocolate like Callebaut Dark Chocolate (callets)
2. Unsalted butter: Always use unsalted butter in dessert recipes to control both the quality and quantity of salt that goes into it. You can even make your own butter!
3. Eggs: Eggs are a must for perfect fudgy brownies. Always use room-temperature eggs in baking cookies and brownies.
4. Granulated sugar: Sugar is another essential ingredient in baking, and changing the quantity will affect the outcome of your brownies, so always weigh it out using a digital scale. Learn more about granulated sugar vs. cane sugar here.
5.  Brown sugar: I use a combination of white and (light or dark) brown sugar for the best texture and a delicious butterscotch flavor which comes from the molasses content.
6. Cocoa powder: For a rich chocolate taste, I use cocoa powder in addition to chocolate chips in this 4th of July brownies recipe. Buy unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the best results. Don't have any? Find a cocoa powder substitute.
7. All purpose flour: All-purpose flour (also known as AP flour or plain flour) is a medium-strength 'all-rounder' flour perfect for brownies and other baked goods. Read my flour guide for more information.
8. Salt: Whilst it might seem strange to add salt to a brownies recipe, you shouldn't skip it! Salt enhances all the flavors as well as balances the sweetness, so it really is essential.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the Red White Blue Cream cheese frosting

1. Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese (33%+ fat content) that is high quality. Philadelphia is a good brand I use in many of my trusted baking recipes.
2. Mascarpone: Again, it is important to use full-fat mascarpone (41%+ content) in frostings for best results. Find a mascarpone cheese substitute here if you need one.
3. Powdered sugar:  A touch of sugar helps to stabilize the brownie frosting. Sift the powdered sugar first to remove any lumps. But I use less sugar than you might think in my frostings, so they are always well-balanced and not overly sweet. Don't have any? Find a powdered sugar substitute.
4. Red and blue gel food coloring: Use high-quality gel food coloring to get the right flag colors. You can use leftovers for other 4th July recipes! Lower-quality colorings and liquid food coloring will not give you the best results and can even break the frosting. Americolor is a brand I always recommend.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. Step-by-step process of making Patriotic Brownies

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius / 347 degrees Fahrenheit (no fan).
2. Prepare a muffin tin (or cupcake tin) with 12 large muffin cases.
3. Melt the unsalted butter and chocolate together using a double boiler method (a bowl over simmering water over medium heat).
4. Whip the eggs and sugar together in a separate mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, for about 5-7 minutes or until pale.
5. Pour the buttery melted chocolate into the egg-sugar mixture and combine with a rubber spatula (do not use a mixer at this point).
6. Fold in the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, salt, and cocoa powder into the wet mixture and fold them together, but do not overmix.
7. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared muffin cases.
8. Bake the 4th of July brownies for 25 minutes.

💡 Top Tip: The brownie cups are ready when the edge of the brownies looks baked, but the middle still looks slightly gooey (but not raw). Do not over-bake! The 4th of July chocolate brownies will further set as they cool.

2. Make the red, white blue cream cheese frosting

Check out my ultimate cream cheese frosting if you need more details on how to make this.

1. Whip cream cheese, mascarpone, and sifted powdered sugar with an electric hand mixer in a large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes until thoroughly combined, but do not overmix. Add some optional vanilla extract if you like.
2. Divide the frosting into 3 equal quantities in separate bowls.
3. Color the cream cheese frosting. Leave one of them white and color the other two with blue and red gel food coloring.
4. Transfer to a piping bag. Place the 3 different frosting colors in lines next to each other onto a piece of kitchen foil. Roll up the aluminum foil like a burrito with one short end open, and place it into a piping bag that has been fitted with a star nozzle tip.
5. Pipe frosting on top of the brownie muffins. As you pipe, the 3 frostings will automatically come out and create beautiful marbled red, white, and blue American flag colors on top of the brownies.
6. Serve the brownie muffins fresh or store them refrigerated for 2-3 days in an air-tight container. Keep any remaining frosting in the fridge and use it to top other easy recipes like cupcakes.

💡 Top Tip: Stop mixing when the cream cheese frosting reaches a fluffy, pipeable consistency, or it will separate and become too runny to pipe.

🍫 Flavor Variations & Substitutions

There are so many ways you can adapt this easy 4th July brownies recipe to celebrate America's birthday. Try adding some chopped nuts or white chocolate chips to the brownie batter to vary the flavor and add crunch. And serve with a side of strawberries and blueberries to double down on the red, white, and blue patriotic colors.

You could also use this patriotic frosting on another type of brownie, like red velvet brownies or triple chocolate brownies.

Be sure to check out my baking guides section to learn more about methods and ingredients. If you are baking around a dietary restriction or preference like gluten free and need to make substitutions, check out my baking substitutions guides.

To make this into a fun 4th July game, get the kids to add a little sparkle to your Fourth of July brownies with sprinkles and Funfetti. Perhaps some stars and stripes?

🎓 Expert tips

1. Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave in short increments so that you don't burn them.
2. Always pre-heat your oven and consider using a digital oven thermometer to ensure you are baking at the correct temperature.
3. Each oven is different, so you might need to adjust the baking time slightly but be careful not to overbake. The brownies will solidify further as they cool completely.
4. Store brownies correctly to give them as long a life as possible! Frosted brownies will need to be kept in the fridge.

🥣 Equipment notes

I always recommend you weigh ingredients by the gram with a digital scale to ensure precision. Baking is a science, and measuring by volume is not accurate enough.

Check you're baking at the right temperature by using a digital oven thermometer - you'll often find that incorrect temperature is to blame when things go wrong!

Combine ingredients using the correct method; it makes such a difference! You will need a rubber spatula and electric hand mixer for this easy 4th of July brownies recipe.

The right cupcake tin conducts heat efficiently and bakes the perfect brownie bites every time. Consider removing them to a wire cooling rack after baking to allow them to cool.

Pipe the perfect patriotic brownie frosting with a piping bag and French star nozzle tip.

❓Recipe FAQs

🇺🇸 More 4th of July Recipes