Strawberry White Chocolate Gooey Bars

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Gooey Strawberry Cake Mix Brownies — An EASY five-ingredient recipe for soft and chewy strawberry bars studded with white chocolate chips and spiked with sweetened condensed milk for the GOOEY win!!

stack of strawberry cake mix brownies with more brownies in the background

Strawberry Brownies … with Cake Mix!

If you need an easy, 5-ingredient recipe that’s goofproof and will be an automatic hit, look no further than these gooey strawberry cake mix brownies! The strawberry base is soft and chewy, there are white chocolate chips for extra texture, and sweetened condensed milk peeks through the top. 

The brownies start off with a box of strawberry cake mix. Did I mention I love shortcuts?

Don’t follow the directions on the box because you’re not making cake — you’re making gooey brownies — so follow my directions below.

stack of three strawberry cake mix brownies

Ingredients in Strawberry Cake Mix Brownies

To make the ooey-gooey strawberry brownies from cake mix, you’ll need: 

How to Make Strawberry Brownies from Cake Mix

I love making recipes with strawberry cake mix because the prep work takes me a fraction of the time needed to make everything from scratch! Here’s a look at how the cake mix strawberry brownies are made:

  1. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy, then beat in the cake mix and egg. The batter will be very thick, but keep beating until it goes from pea-sized crumbles to a tacky, thick dough. 
  2. Turn half the batter into a 9×9-inch baking dish, then evenly sprinkle with white chocolate chips.
  3. Drizzle about 60% of a can of sweetened condensed milk over the white chocolate layer (just eyeball it), then dot remaining dough over top. 
  4. Bake the brownies until the edges are set and the center is mostly set. 
Strawberry White Chocolate Gooey Bars - An EASY five-ingredient recipe for soft and chewy strawberry bars studded with white chocolate chips and spiked with sweetened condensed milk for the GOOEY win!!

Strawberry Cake Mix Brownies FAQs

Do I Have to Use Boxed Cake Mix? 

If you don’t want to use a store-bought cake mix or don’t have cake mix in your area, this may not be the recipe for you. I haven’t tried it any other way other than using cake mix.

Can I Double This Recipe? 

You likely can double this cake mix brownie recipe and bake it off in a 9×13-inch pan. Note that you may need to increase the baking time slightly. 

Can I Use a different flavor of cake mix?

I’m sure you can! I bet you could mix and match the cake mix and baking chips using whatever flavor combinations you love.

Can I Use a white chocolate bar instead of white chocolate chips?

Yes! You can use a white chocolate bar chopped into pieces in place of the white chocolate chips. No problem at all!

Can I Use Semi-Sweet or Milk Chocolate Chips?

You could use milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips if you’re adverse to white chocolate. That would give the brownies more of a chocolate-covered strawberry vibe, which sounds delicious!

Can the brownies be made in advance?

Absolutely! In fact, because the bars will be loose and gooey as you take them out of the oven, you must allow them to cool for a few hours (overnight if you can plan ahead) if you want nice clean squares because they’re incredibly gooey right out of the oven.

If you don’t care about presentation, then dig in whenever you can’t resist any longer!

Can I Use Gluten-free cake mix?

You definitely can! Just make sure to buy a standard size (15.25 oz) box of cake mix.

Gooey Strawberry Cake Mix Brownies — An EASY five-ingredient recipe for soft and chewy strawberry bars studded with white chocolate chips and spiked with sweetened condensed milk for the GOOEY win!!

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4.41 from 105 votes

Strawberry White Chocolate Gooey Bars

By Averie Sunshine
An EASY five-ingredient recipe for soft and chewy strawberry bars studded with white chocolate chips and spiked with sweetened condensed milk for the GOOEY win!!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 16
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Ingredients  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, very soft
  • one 15.25-ounce box strawberry cake mix
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • about 60% of one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, use about 8 ounces, I use fat-free

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9×9-inch pan with aluminum foil (strongly recommended for easier cleanup) and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • To a large bowl, add the butter and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
  • Add the cake mix, egg, and beat on low speed to combine. The batter will be very thick; keep beating until it goes from pea-sized crumbles to a tacky, thick dough.
  • Add between half and two-thirds of the dough to the prepared pan to form an even, smooth base layer. I use a spatula but use your hands (sprayed with cooking spray) if that’s easier; set remaining dough aside.
  • Evenly sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the dough.
  • Evenly drizzle with about 60% of the can (about 8 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk; just eyeball it.
  • Add the rest of the dough in approximately 1-inch pieces over the sweetened condensed milk, lightly pressing it down. You won’t have complete coverage; this is okay.
  • Bake for about 27 to 30 minutes or until edges are set and the center is mostly set; it’s okay if it’s a little jiggly. I judged the doneness by looking at the edges and as they turned light golden brown, I removed the pan from the oven.
  • Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for at least 2 to 3 hours (overnight is better) or until bars have firmed up enough to cut.

Notes

  • Bars are best fresh but will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Adapted from Crazy for Crust.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 332kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 135mg, Sugar: 36g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Originally posted May 5, 2017 and reposted May 20, 2022 with updated text.

4.41 from 105 votes (99 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 1 star
    Okay so I followed the directions so precisely, btw I am psychology major, and IT TURNED OUT LIKE CAKE i even let it rest

  2. 5 stars
    I just want to let you know that after trying this the first time, I’ve made it so many more times with other flavors!
    Cinnamon cake mix with white chocolate chips and crumb topping, like cinnamon rolls.
    Dark chocolate mix with butterscotch chips.
    Confetti cake mix with with rainbow chips.
    And vanilla cake mix with chocolate chips.
    They’re a bit every single time!!!
    Thank you so much for this!!!

  3. 5 stars
    I just want to let you know that after trying this the first time, I’ve made it so many more times with other flavors!
    Cinnamon cake mix with white chocolate chips and crumb topping, like cinnamon rolls.
    Dark chocolate mix with butterscotch chips.
    Confetti cake mix with with rainbow chips.
    And vanilla cake mix with chocolate chips.
    They’re a bit every single time!!!
    Thank you so much for this!!!

    1. Wow this is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing what you’ve done and all those great flavor combos! I’m glad that every combo has been a hit every time, too!

  4. Hi Averie! Excited to make this (perfect for summer!) but have a question. I don’t have white baking chips, just white chocolate baking bars. Should I break them up in pieces to place in the middle, or could I melt and then drizzle on top? Wondering what you think would work best. Thanks!

    1. You can use a white chocolate bar chopped into pieces, that is just fine. You could also melt them and drizzle on top, additionally for extra flavor.

      1. ok, thank you! and i made these before, and it was a success! your recipe really helped our bake sale, it was the item that sold the most! How can I help advertise and get your website out there?

      2. Glad they were a success and just share on your social media and tell your friends and family – thank you!!!

    1. You’re the gooey bar QUEEN above all others :) I could eat a pan of any of yours!

  5. Gooey gets my attention when it comes to bars and sweetened condensed milk is heavenly when baked. These are also quite pretty and they remind me of spring and summer (as I look out the window to wind and rain this am)!

  6. Yum… Like a strawberry version of a brownie! I want to try those strawberry cheesecake bars too.