Raspberry Or Strawberry Topped Brownies

Chocolate and raspberries or brownies are the perfect combination as far as I'm concerned. This is a great dessert that is easy enough for everyday but nice enough for company . I came up with this recipe when I needed to make 50 servings of a dessert for a school event. I didn't have time to bake so I bought store made brownies, some berries and came up with these delicious confections. They were gone in minutes and talked about for hours. While you can make the brownie part from a box or buy them at the store, they're even better when you make them from scratch.
Best Brownies Ever

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cup white sugar
• 4 eggs- lightly beat before adding
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In the microwave or in a pan on the stove, melt the butter and set aside to cool. 
3. Into a bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder- set aside Grease a 9x13" pan well. 
4. Add the sugar to the melted butter and stir until combined then add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat well.
5. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Don't over beat. 
6. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until done. 
7. Cool completely before putting the frosting on. 

Strawberry or Raspberry Frosting

• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4- 1/3 cup strawberry or raspberry puree. (I take 1 cup of fresh or thawed frozen fruit and put it into a blender and blend until smooth. This will yield about 1/2 cup of puree. Any extra puree left over, I freeze in a ziplock bag ready for the next batch of fruit frosting that I make)

In a large bowl cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 TBS of the fruit puree. Beat until it comes together. Continue adding the fruit puree one tablespoon at a time beating after each addition until it is the consistency that you want. Frost the brownies by spreading over the top or for a fancier presentation, place the frosting into a zip lock bag that has a large star tip in the cut off corner. Pip a swirl onto the top of the precut brownies. Top with a raspberry or slice of strawberry.