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How To Store Brownies – Ultimate Guide

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Quick Answer

The best way to store brownies is in an airtight container at room temperature. Follow these steps for optimal freshness:

  1. Let brownies cool completely in the baking tray.
  2. Store uncut brownies for up to 5 days.
  3. For longer storage, use the refrigerator (up to 2 weeks) or freezer (up to 3 months) in airtight wrapping.

Read on for more detail

In our opinion, there is nothing finer than a chocolate brownie! These delicious chocolate indulgences, with their gooey center and crisp outer layer, make a delicious snack, lunchbox treat, or even a luxurious dessert.

But, what is the best way to store brownies? The best way to store brownies is in an airtight container at room temperature. Brownies will stay fresh for up to 5 days this way but are at their best if eaten 1-2 days after baking. If you need to store brownies for longer than 5 days, then they also store well in the refrigerator or freezer.

Whether you’ve mastered baking the ultimate brownie recipe or have got some brownies from the store or a friend, you’ll want to know the best way to store brownies.

For our ultimate guide we are going to take an in-depth look at all the different storage options, and even find the best containers to keep your brownies as fresh as when they came out of the oven.

What Is A Brownie?

A brownie is a chocolate square or rectangular baked delicacy. Brownie recipes normally include chocolate, eggs, butter, sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla extract

The ingredients are similar to those used to make chocolate cake, but brownies are normally denser and heavier than cake.

The perfect chocolate brownie should have a thick crispy outer layer, and a soft, rich, almost fudge-like interior. Brownies can be eaten alone as a snack, or served warm as a dessert with ice cream or cream.

How Long Do Brownies Last At Room Temperature?

As with most other baked goods, brownies will taste their best when stored at room temperature. If stored correctly your brownies will stay soft and chewy for up to 5 days, tasting as if they have just come out of the oven.

However, they will only stay fresh for 5 days if they are left uncut and are protected from the air as much as possible.

Brownies that have been cut into chunks and stored in an airtight container may only retain their freshness for 2-3 days.

How To Store Brownies After Baking

If you have mastered baking the perfect brownie – congratulations!

We have all had brownies that are dry and crumbly, or soggy, or too hard, so if your brownies are crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle, you’ll want to do everything you can to keep them that way.

After baking, let your brownies cool completely in the baking tray. If you are planning on eating your brownies within a day or two then slice them into squares or rectangles.

For longer-term storage, you can either lift the slab of brownie out as a whole or leave it in the tin.

How To Store Brownies For Freshness

To keep your freshly baked brownies at their absolute best, your storage method needs to be as airtight as possible. Air is the biggest enemy of the home baker and will quickly turn your soft gooey brownies as dry as dust.

The best way to keep your brownies fresh is to avoid cutting them until you want to eat them. Cutting them will expose more parts of the brownie to air, meaning they can dry out very quickly.

An uncut slab of brownie will keep fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

As soon as you cut your brownie into individual portions you reduce this to 1-2 days before they start to become dry and stale.

The best option is to keep your brownies in the tray they were baked in, wrapped in an airtight wrapping such as plastic wrap. Alternatively, take the whole slab out of the tray and keep it in an airtight container.

Cut your slab of brownie when you are ready to eat or serve them.

You can even cut off just one brownie at a time as a treat for yourself, although if you are anything like us there wouldn’t be much left after a day or two! 

How To Keep Brownies From Becoming Stale

If you don’t eat your brownies on the same day you made them, they can quickly become hard and brittle. As soon as you take your brownies from the oven they are exposed to air and the sugars start to crystallize.

However, don’t be tempted to wrap up your brownies before they have cooled down completely. If you do then steam and condensation will form, result in your crisp outer layer turning soft and soggy.

An excellent compromise is to cover your tray of brownies with a clean dishtowel while they are cooling. This will reduce the amount of air your brownies are exposed to whilst allowing steam and condensation to escape.

Once your brownies are completely cool, they must be stored in an airtight container to prevent them from getting hard.

How To Keep Brownies Soft

We might be repeating ourselves here, but we cannot emphasize this enough – the only way to guarantee that your brownies stay soft and moist is to keep the air away. So, what is the best way of doing this?

The key to keeping brownies soft and fresh is to wrap them tightly. There are several ways of doing this: 

  • Plastic wrap can be pulled tightly around the brownies, this is the easiest and best method to keep your brownies nice and soft. It can also be applied in multiple layers and is a simple way to wrap individual brownies too.
  • Aluminum foil is also simple to fold tightly around brownies, blocking air and keeping them fresh.
  • Airtight containers also work well, but for best results wrap or layer your brownies with parchment paper inside the container to reduce exposure to air.
  • A resealable bag is a quick and easy storage option for brownies, especially if you want to pop one into your lunchbox or picnic.

Top tip – add a slice of bread to your storage container! This might sound crazy but the moisture from the bread will help keep your brownies soft and keep them fresh for a few extra days.

How Do You Store Brownies In The Refrigerator?

If you live in a hotter climate then your brownies may not last well at room temperature, particularly if you don’t have air conditioning. Storing your brownies in the refrigerator will keep them fresh for up to 2 weeks.

Make sure that your brownies are wrapped tightly before storing them in the fridge. Baked goods will absorb odors and flavors from other foodstuffs in the fridge, so double wrapping is a good idea.

Brownies should always be enjoyed at room temperature, so remove them from the fridge about an hour before you want to eat them. Alternatively, warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds for a lovely gooey warm treat.

If you’re not planning on eating them all in one go, make sure that you wrap the rest up tightly before putting them back in the fridge.

Is It OK To Freeze Brownies?

It is definitely OK to freeze brownies; in fact, this method is better than the refrigerator! Brownies will keep in perfect condition in the freezer for up to 3 months.

This is a great way to prepare a large batch of brownies in advance, or just to have a treat in the freezer for those times when only a chocolate brownie will do.

Once again, the key to the perfect conditions for freezing brownies is to keep them away from air. Brownies are also susceptible to freezer burn, so double protection is required.

Brownies can be frozen individually, or larger batches can be frozen as large slabs then cut after defrosting. You can even wrap the brownie still in the baking tin, but this does mean you won’t have your tin available when you want to use it!

Wrap the brownie in an airtight layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil.

This should be enough to protect from air and freezer burn, but if you want to be extra sure then place the foil package into a freezer-safe plastic container.

Defrost your brownies by leaving them in their wrapping at room temperature. Large slabs of brownie will take 2-3 hours to defrost, whereas individual brownies will take about 1 hour.

If you are in a rush, the large slab of brownie can be cut into serving-size portions and warmed in the microwave when still partially frozen. 

What’s The Best Container For Storing Brownies?

You might have a pantry full of containers, but which is the best type for storing brownies? You need a container into which your brownies will fit snugly. This will cut down the amount of air circulating around the brownies.

  • Glass Jars

Using glass jars to store your brownies can look very pretty, and are a lovely option if you are making brownies as a gift. An airtight glass jar is a great way to display your baking efforts.

However, unless they are individually wrapped your brownies will only stay fresh for 1-2 days if stored this way.

  • Stainless Steel Containers

An airtight stainless steel container will keep your brownies in pristine condition for up to 5 days if they are layered in parchment paper

  • Plastic Containers

Durable, adaptable, and multipurpose – we all love our Tupperware containers! The ultimate in keeping food fresh, an airtight plastic container is the perfect storage method for your chocolate brownies.

Don’t forget your layer of parchment paper though, this will help to keep them fresh for even longer.

  • Ziploc Bags

Using a Ziploc or sealable bag is an easy and versatile option for keeping your brownies fresh and soft. Just remember to squeeze all the air out before sealing; otherwise, your brownies will be hard and dry in no time!

Related Questions

Now that we’ve gone over some of the best ways to store brownies, let’s take a look at a few related questions that you might’ve had while reading this article!

Can brownies be reheated?

After a long day at work or school, sometimes you just fancy a lovely dessert with the minimum of fuss. Luckily, brownies are quick and easy to reheat and can be reheated from fresh or frozen, and in the oven or the microwave.

  • To reheat brownies in the oven, place them on a baking tray into an oven preheated to 350°F. Heat fresh brownies for 10 minutes, and frozen brownies for 20 minutes.
  • To reheat brownies in the microwave, pop them on a microwave-safe plate and heat them on full power for bursts of 20 seconds at a time. Most brownies will be heated through after just 1 minute.

What’s the best way to reheat brownies?

The best way to reheat brownies is in the oven, as they will retain the crisp outer shell and gooey middle.

Reheating brownies in the microwave can cause them to go a bit soggy, but many of us don’t really mind this! If brownies are reheated for too long in the microwave they will become hard and chewy.

Should brownies be gooey?

Baking brownies is a fine art, and it can take practice to master producing a brownie that isn’t a dry lump of cake! The perfect brownie should have a thick crispy outer layer, and a soft, rich, almost fudge-like interior.

However, there are three types of brownie, all with different levels of gooey-ness:

  • Fudgy brownie – dense, with a moist, intensely chocolatey interior.
  • Chewy brownie – moist, but not quite as gooey as a fudgy brownie.
  • Cakey brownie – moist, with a slightly fluffy interior.

Do brownies harden as they cool?

When you take your tin of brownies from the oven, they will still be soft and cake-like. Brownies harden as they cool, so it is important to allow them to cool completely in the tin before attempting to slice and remove them.

If you cut through brownies while they are still hot or warm, they may crumble and stick to the knife. Wait until they are completely cool to get a neat clean edge to your brownies when you cut them.

Are brownies better warm or cold?

Brownies are undoubtedly better warm, especially when served as a dessert. However, a cold brownie is a tasty snack, straight from your storage tin. Cool brownies have a firmer texture, whereas warm brownies are soft and gooey.

When baking brownies, it is important to let them cool completely in the baking tray before slicing and removing them.

This means that if you want to enjoy your brownies warm, they should be reheated in the oven or the microwave.

This does make brownies the perfect ‘prepare in advance’ dinner party dessert – bake them a day or two beforehand, and simply reheat when your guests have finished their main course.

What can I do with stale brownies?

Maybe you made too many brownies and just didn’t get to eat them before they went stale? Or someone left the lid off and your delicious brownies have gone dry and hard?

Don’t panic – if your brownies are past their best, it is easy to bring them back to life! However, check carefully for any mold or other signs of deterioration first.

The microwave will be your best friend here – simply pop your stale brownie in on full power for 10-20 seconds. This will gently warm your brownie and make it soft and delicious again.

If you want to do something different with your stale brownies, here are some great ideas:

  • Ice cream topping – add chunks of stale brownie into ice cream. Mmmmm, brownie ice cream!
  • Brownie bread pudding – take this classic dish up a notch by using your leftover brownies in place of the bread.
  • Brownie crumbs – blitz leftover brownies in the food processer to make crumbs. Let them air dry until hard, then use as a topping for yogurt or even as a cheesecake crust.

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