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How To Store Brownies – Best Way To Keep Them Fresh

Norah Clark
Classic chewy brownies

Norah Clark

Norah Clark, Editor of Boyd Hampers! Norah is a food writer with over a decade of experience in hospitality as a pastry chef, sous chef, and barista; former chef at the Savoy Hotel, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Plaza Hotel.

The best way to store brownies is placing them in an airtight container that is kept at room temperature. Brownies can be kept fresh for up to 5 days but they taste best if eaten within a couple of days after they have been baked. If you have to store brownies for more than five days, they can also be stored in the freezer or refrigerator.

I will take an in-depth look through all the options for storage and also discover the most suitable containers to keep your brownies as fresh as they were when they were just out of the oven.

What Are Brownies?

The term brownie refers to a chocolaty round or rectangular baked delicacy. Brownie recipes usually comprise eggs, chocolate, sugar, butter flour, salt, and with vanilla extract.

The ingredients are comparable to the ingredients used in cakes made of chocolate However, brownies are typically more dense and heavy than cakes.

The best chocolate brownies should include a crisp outer layer and an incredibly soft and rich like fudge inside. Brownies are delicious as a snack or as a warm dessert, paired with ice cream or cream.

How Long Do Brownies Last At Room Temperature?

Like most baked goods, brownies are best-tasting when kept at an ambient temperature. If stored properly, brownies will be chewy and soft for as long as 5 days with the same flavor as when they emerged from the oven.

But, they will only last for 5 days if protected in an airtight container.

Brownies that are not kept inside an airtight container might not keep their freshness for more than two to three days.

How To Keep Brownies Fresh After Baking

If you’ve managed to bake the perfect brownie, congratulations!

There have been brownies that were dry and crumbly, soft and soggy. If your brownies are crisp on the outside, but gooey inside, you’ll want to do all you can to keep them that way.

Following baking, let the brownies cool completely on your baking pan. If you plan on eating your brownies in one or two days, cut them into squares or rectangles.

The most effective way to ensure that your brownies stay fresh is to not cut them before you intend to consume them. Cutting them exposes portions inside the chocolate to the air which means they’ll dry out quickly.

A slab of uncut brownie will stay moist and delicious for up to five days within an airtight container.

When you cut your brownie into small portions, bank on eating them within 1 to 2 days before they begin to get dry.

The best solution is to store your baked brownies inside the baking tray they were cooked in, and then wrap them in an airtight wrapper like polythene or aluminium foil. Then cut pieces off your brownie when you are ready to eat or serve.

How To Stop Brownies Becoming Stale

But, don’t be tempted to wrap your brownies before they’re completely cooled. If you do this, condensation and steam will build up which will result in your crispy outer layer becoming soft and spongy.

Just cover the slab with a dishtowel whilst it's cooling

How To Keep Brownies Soft

We could be repeating ourselves We can’t stress this enough – the best method to ensure that your brownies remain moist and soft is to keep air out. 

Aluminium foil is also easy to fold in tight around brownies, keeping air out as well as keeping them moist.

Containers that are airtight are also suitable however, for the best results cover your brownies using parchment within the container, to limit the exposure to air.

Resealable bags is an easy and convenient storage option for brownies.

A great tip is to Include bread slices in your storage container! This might sound odd, but the moisture of the bread helps keep brownies moist and fresh for a few more days.

Best Way To Store Brownies In Your Refrigerator

If you reside in a climate that is hotter, your brownies might not be able to last at room temperature, particularly in the absence of air cooling. So, storing your brownies in the refrigerator ensure they stay fresh for longer.

Be sure that the brownies are properly wrapped prior to storing them in the refrigerator. Baked goods can absorb flavors and odors from other foods when stored in the refrigerator, so double wrapping them is a good idea.

Brownies should be consumed at the room temperatures, which is why you should take them off the fridge at least an hour before you plan to take them out for eating. Alternately, you can warm them by heating them in the microwave for a few seconds to make a wonderful gooey warm dessert.

If you don’t plan on eating them all at once Make sure you wrap them in a tight wrap before placing them back into the fridge.

Can You Freeze Brownies?

This method of storage is superior to the refrigerator! Brownies will stay in good condition when stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

This is an excellent method of making a big batch of brownies ahead, freezing them and using them as needed.

Brownies can also be susceptible to freezer burn and double-protection is necessary.

They can also be frozen in small or large portions and then cut up after defrosting. You could put the brownie in the freezer in its baking tin. However, this will mean that you won’t have the tin ready for use when you want it!

Cover the brownie with an airtight sheet of plastic wrap, followed by the aluminium foil and for extra protection in a freezer safe plastic container.

Remove your brownies from the freezer by leaving the wrappers and at room temp. Large chunks of brownie will require approximately 2 hours to defrost. Individual brownies will take approximately an hour.

If you’re working on a tight schedule, the huge slab chocolate can be divided into serving portions, and then heated in the microwave while still partially frozen.

What’s The Best Container To Store Brownies?

There’s a chance that you have a pantry filled with containers, but which one is the most suitable one for storing brownies? It is essential to find a container where your brownies can fit perfectly. This will decrease how much air is that circulates within the brownies.

1. Glass Jars

Using glass containers to store your brownies is a good idea if you’re going to eat them in a day or two. An airtight glass jar showcases your baking skills.

2. Stainless Steel Containers

An airtight stainless steel container keeps your brownies in perfect condition for up to five days, if they’re layered on newspaper.

3. Plastic Containers

These are durable, flexible and multi-purpose. This is the most effective way to keep food fresh.  An airtight plastic container is the perfect way to store your  chocolate brownies.

Do not forget to add a layers of parchment but it will keep them fresher longer.

4. Ziploc Bags

Using a Ziploc or sealable bag is a simple and flexible option to keep your brownies soft and fresh. Make sure to squeeze out the air before sealing or else the brownies will become dry and hard within hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can brownies be heated?

Brownies are easy and quick to heat up and can be cooked either fresh or frozen and heated in the oven or microwave.

To warm brownies, put them in a baking pan in an oven set to 350 degrees F. Warm the fresh brownies for approximately 10 minutes or so, and freeze them last for about 20 mins.

To warm brownies using a microwave, put them on a plate that is microwave safe and cook them at full power in intervals of 20 seconds each. Most brownies are heated to the point of melting after one minute.

What’s the best way to heat brownies?

The most effective method to heat brownies is to do it by reheating them in the oven because they’ll keep their crisp outer shell as well as the gooey center.

Reheating them in the microwave may result in them becoming slightly soggy, which some of us quite like. When brownies have been heated for too long in the microwave, they’ll become soft as well as chewy.

Do brownies have to be gooey?

Baking brownies is an art and isn’t easy to create the perfect brownie. The ideal brownie will be a crispy, thick outer layer and an incredibly soft, smooth,  fudgey inside.

There are three brownie types each with different degrees of gooeyness:

  • A dense and fudgy brownie with a moist and intensely chocolaty inside.
  • Chewy brownie – moist but not as gooey like a fudgy brownie.
  • The cakey brownie is moist with a slight fluffy inside.

Do brownies harden when you cool them?

When you remove the brownies out of the oven, they are soft as well as cake like. Brownies harden as they cool, which is why it is essential to let them be completely cool inside the container prior to trying to cut and take them out.

If you cut into brownies that are either warm or hot, the brownies could fall apart and stick to your knife. You should wait until they’re completely cool before cutting them.

Are brownies better cold than warm?

Brownies are certainly more delicious warm, especially when eaten as dessert. But cold brownies are an excellent snack straight out of your storage container. Cool brownies have a firmer texture, while warm brownies are gooey and soft.

What can I do with old brownies?

 

The microwave is your ideal companion here. Just put your old brownie into the microwave at full power and cook it for 10-15 seconds. This will slowly warm the brownie, making it soft and delicious.

If you’re looking for ways to make something new with your old brownies Here are some excellent ideas:

  • Ice cream topping. Add chunks of brownie that have been stale into Ice cream. Mmmmm, brownie ice cream!
  • Chocolate bread pudding. Take this classic recipe up a notch by using brownies you have left over instead of bread.
  • Brownie crumbs. Blend leftover brownies in a food processor to create the crumbs. Allow them to dry in the air until they become hard. Use them to top yogurt, or as an ice cream crust.
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