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4th of July Brownies

4th of July brownies with dense, fudgy layers and a thick white vanilla frosting topped in a red-white-blue flag design. Dense brownies are baked in a 9x13 pan, cooled completely, then decorated with tightly packed blueberries and flat strawberry rows.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
cooling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Brownies
  • 1 fudge brownie mix Use the box mix and follow the package ingredient list.
White vanilla frosting
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 oz cream cheese Softened.
  • 2 tbsp butter Softened.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2.5 tbsp milk Add 1 tbsp at a time as needed for spreadable texture.
Flag topping
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries Sliced; lay flat for straight red stripes.
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries Tightly packed for the blue canton.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 9x13 baking pan

Method
 

Bake and cool
  1. Heat oven and bake the brownies in a 9x13 pan according to package directions, until a toothpick shows moist crumbs. Let cool completely for at least 1 hour.
Make the frosting
  1. Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together until smooth and spreadable. Stop and scrape the sides as needed so there are no lumps.
Frost and decorate
  1. Spread the cream cheese frosting in an even layer over the cooled brownies. Press gently so the frosting settles with no bald spots.
Add the blue canton
  1. In the upper left corner, arrange a rectangle of blueberries tightly packed to form the canton. Keep the edges straight so the flag pattern is clear.
Add the red stripes
  1. Create red stripes across the rest of the brownies using rows of sliced strawberries laid flat. Place the slices side-by-side for even stripes.
Reveal the white gaps
  1. Leave alternating gaps between strawberry rows so the white frosting shows through. Adjust spacing so the striped look stays consistent across the pan.
Chill, cut, and serve
  1. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the frosting, then cut into squares and serve. For clean cuts, wipe the knife between slices.

Notes

For the cleanest flag pattern, slice strawberries to similar thickness and lay them flat in tight, parallel rows. Store brownies covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months (freeze cut squares on a tray first, then transfer to a bag). For a lighter option, use low-fat cream cheese in the frosting while keeping the frosting thickness for decorating.