Chocolate Cherry Brownie Recipe*

*with mint and Toblerone variations

Brownies are very easy to make, can be whipped up for a nearly instant dessert, and – with a bit of innovation – you can turn them into your own flavour laboratory.

Find below a quite successful brownie I recently made with an adult twist; a special ingredient not for children.  That’s right – cherry brandy and glacé cherries!  Rich and tasty (like you)!

Recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 125 g unsalted butter, chopped
• 125 g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 eggs – whisked together
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup plain flour
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 60 ml (two shots) cherry brandy
• ½ cup glace cherries roughly chopped
• Pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 160C, then oil and line a square brownie tray with baking paper.

Put a large heat proof bowl on a saucepan of water and bring to a simmer with butter and chocolate in the bowl (do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl in the double boiler).  Melt together butter and chocolate, combine with spoon.

Once melted, turn off the heat and quickly stir in the cherry brandy, eggs, dry ingredients and lastly the chopped cherries.  Pour into prepared baking tin.

Bake for half an hour, or until the centre is set and a skewer comes out with wet crumbs on it.  Slow and low is better than having the oven too hot, as the sugars tend to burn and not give that nice moist feel you’re looking for.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan completely before turning out and slicing into brownies (otherwise it tends to break up).

I’m told, by the Taste website which was my original template for this recipe, that brownies are better a day old, as they’re a little bit more chewy.

Serve with whipped cream, a glass of milk and/or coffee.  

Enjoy.

Mint Brownie variation:

try using crème de menthe and a crushed up Peppermint crisp as a variation.

Toblerone Brownie:

...and while we’re at it, how about a shot of Frangelico, Kaluha, and Baileys with a half a cup of chopped almonds to make a Toblerone style?

If you have any other suggestions (including the Crunchy Frog or Spring Surprise using sweets from the Whizzo Quality Assortment), let me know by posting a comment below!