How To Store Brownies To Keep Them Fresh (Do This!)
Brownies are a delicious treat that is easy to make and loved by everyone. Brownies are the perfect snack to have around the house when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. But, keeping brownies fresh can be a challenge, especially if you are trying to keep the soft, moistness intact, so what’s the best way to store brownies?
The best way to store brownies and keep them fresh is to leave them uncut in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you need to store them longer you can keep them in the fridge for two weeks or in the freezer for three months. YOu can also make them extra decadent by covering them in chocolate to create an airtight chocolate shell around your brownie.
Although homemade brownies taste the best, store-bought brownies may last longer on the counter and the refrigerator because of the added preservatives. If your brownies start to dry out, adding a slice of bread to your brownie container can add just enough moisture back into your container to allow your brownies to stay fresh and moist for days to come.
How Long Should I Wait To Store Brownies?
Freshly baked brownies right out of the oven are something special to behold. It can be tempting to want to capture the softness and freshness of freshly baked brownies. Wrapping and storing brownies while they are still warm can damage your brownie consistency. Excess moisture can form from cooling brownies, condensing on plastic wrap or plastic covers. This will make your brownies soggy and mushy.
After baking your brownies, it is best to let the brownies sit out on the counter for about thirty minutes to cool properly. After the brownies have cooled, you are free to store your brownies by covering them in plastic, placing them in the refrigerator, or preparing your brownies to freeze. By waiting an extra thirty minutes, you can ensure your brownies stay firm yet moist for a variety of storage methods.
What Are The Best Ways To Store Brownies?
Of course, the absolute best way to store brownies right away is in your stomach, but what if you don’t plan to eat or serve them right away?
1. Store Brownies At Room Temperature
Leaving brownies on the counter at room temperature is a perfectly fine way to store your brownies. Because all the perishable ingredients in brownies, like butter and eggs, are cooked and preserved in sugar, there is no reason to fear that your brownies will spoil. To keep brownies on the counter at room temperature, it is best to wrap the brownies loosely in plastic wrap.
You may wrap the individual brownies or throw some plastic wrap over a plate of brownies. If left to sit at room temperature, brownies will last three to four days before turning dry and stale.
2. Don’t Cut Brownies Until You’re Ready To Serve
Of course, keeping brownies whole and uncut will leave brownies the moistest and best-preserved. The reason is when you cut the brownies, it exposes more parts of the brownies to the air, which dries them out. So, don’t cut your brownies until you are ready to serve them, or simply cut one as you want to eat one.
3. Store Brownies In The Right Container
Keeping your brownies fresh relies heavily on keeping air away, so choose containers wisely. Plastic wrap works well to wrap your brownies all around and seal them from the air. An air-tight container is also an excellent choice and even Zip-loc bags.
In a pinch, you can put brownies in a cookie jar or tin if you plan to eat them within the next couple of days. However, these types of containers often don’t provide an airtight seal, so the brownies won’t stay as fresh as long.
4. Store Your Brownies With A Slice Of Bread
Placing a slice of white bread in the container with your brownies can help keep them fresher longer. This is because the moisture from the bread helps keep the brownies moist. It’s a hack worth remembering if you’re an avid baker.
5. Make Chocolate-Covered Brownies
Okay, so this might be more of an extra baking step, but if you like extra-chocolatey brownies, consider covering them in a chocolate shell. The outer shell will help protect the brownies from the air, keeping them softer longer.
6. Store Brownies Longer In The Refrigerator
Although brownies can be left on the counter at room temperature, they will last longer (about two weeks) if you store them in the refrigerator. To store brownies in the refrigerator, follow the below steps.
- Prepare Your Brownies. Decide if you want to keep your brownies whole in the pan or divided into individual brownies. Keep in mind that cutting your brownies into individual servings may be easier to eat one at a time, but will also cause your brownies to dry out faster.
- Wrap Your Brownies. Air is a great killer when it comes to drying out your brownies. You will want to wrap your brownies in plastic wrap, keeping the plastic wrap as close to the surface of the brownie as possible. If you do not have plastic wrap available, you can store the brownies in an air-tight plastic container. If you are without a plastic container or plastic wrap, storing brownies in a Ziploc bag will also work.
- Refrigerate. Place your brownies in the refrigerator close to the middle shelf. This will give your brownies the most consistent temperature since the inside temperature of the refrigerator will not fluctuate in this location when people open and close the door. To eat, simply pull out a brownie, allow them to reach room temperature, or microwave for a soft and moist treat.
7. Store Brownies Three Months In The Freezer
Storing brownies in the freezer is the perfect way to keep your brownies for three months or longer. To store brownies in the freezer, follow the below steps.
- Prepare the Brownies. Allow your brownies to reach room temperature. Never try to freeze brownies that have come directly out of the oven. You can keep brownies whole or cut into individual servings.
- Wrap Your Brownies. It is best to use plastic wrap to wrap your brownies. Keep the wrap as close to the surface of the brownies as possible, creating a tight seal. You will want to add two to three layers of plastic wrap to ensure they are sealed. The cold air from the freezer can be particularly drying.
- Add Foil. Add aluminum foil to the top of your brownies. Aluminum foil will help to fight off freezer burn, keeping the taste and flavor of your brownies intact. With this storage technique, you will be able to keep your brownies frozen for three months.
- Reheat to Eat. Before eating or serving your brownies, heat them back to room temperature. You can microwave the brownie for a few seconds to bring the warm, soft, moistness back into the cookie.
Can I Store Unbaked Brownies?
Making your brownie mixture ahead of time can help cut down your meal preparation time, especially if you are planning on making a big meal. To store unbaked brownies you should:
- Mix together the necessary ingredients to make brownies.
- Pour the mixture directly into the pan you plan to use to bake your brownies.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and make sure the edges are sealed tight to prevent air from getting into the brownie mix.
- Keep contents cool in the refrigerator. The brownie mix will last about three days before baking.
Related Questions
Do store-bought brownies last longer?
When brownies are made at home, traditional ingredients like eggs, flour, and sugar are used. These ingredients make a delicious brownie but do not necessarily keep very long. Store-bought brownies, comparatively, have preservatives in them, which help to keep the eggs and butter last longer. With preservatives added, store-bought brownies will last longer than homemade brownies. If you are leaving your store-bought brownies out on the counter at room temperature, you can leave them out a few days past the “sell-by date” on the packing.
How can I make brownies fresh if they have dried out?
If your brownies have started to dry out because of extended exposure to the air, it is still possible to bring some moistness and freshness back to your brownie. Put the browning in the microwave, and microwave the brownie on high for about 10 seconds at a time. Brownies and chocolate can burn easily, so it is important to closely watch how long you microwave the brownie. After about 10 seconds, your brownie will become soft and moist again and taste as it came right out of the oven.
Should I store cream cheese brownies differently?
Cream cheese brownies are richer and smoother than traditional brownies, largely due to the addition of cream cheese in the brownie mixture. Because the cream cheese is properly cooked and preserved in the cookie, it is possible to still leave cream cheese brownies on the counter at room temperature. Just like traditional brownies, keep your cream cheese brownies stored in an air-tight container, plastic bag, or under plastic wrap.If you choose to store your cream cheese brownies in the refrigerator, store them in an air-tight container. In the refrigerator, cream cheese brownies will not last as long as traditional brownies. Expect this specialty brownie to only last about a week when stored properly in the refrigerator.
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