Cherry Brownies

Ingredients

130g butter
150g 70%-cocoa chocolate
1 C fresh cherries, stoned and roughly chopped
1/2 C roasted nuts, roughly chopped
1 tsp vanilla essence
225g caster sugar
55g cocoa powder
75g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
3 eggs, beaten
50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (optional)

Summary

This fudgey tray of decadence works beautifully with fresh or sour cherries, as well as a gluten free flour mix.  Wonderful for all seasons and all celebrations.

This batch of cherry brownies is just as you would expect. Ridiculously rich. Fudgey. Very decadent. And a long way from these raw brownies (though also delicious) in terms of dietary disclaimers – this recipe has all the things you might be avoiding. We’ll just leave it here …

 

Cherry Brownies

(Recipe originally from a certain British chef’s website. We’ve upped the cherries, and added vanilla and salt).

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a 20cm square baking tin (or the equivalent) with baking paper.

Melt the butter and 70%-cocoa chocolate in a bowl set tightly over a saucepan of simmering water. Don’t let the water touch the saucepan or get in the mixture. Once melted, take off the heat and stir in the cherries, nuts and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the sugar, sifted cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the chocolate mixture, along with the beaten eggs and stir until well combined. Mix in the chocolate pieces if you are using them (you’ve come this far).

Transfer the mixture to the tin, then bake for 15 – 20 minutes until firm but still a little goey. Allow to completely cool in the tray before cutting into squares. Dust with icing sugar or cocoa if you like.

Hints and Tips

Don’t forget these brownies are excellent with jarred sour cherries, so there’s no need to wait until summer’s tenuous cherry harvest – crack a jar open and substitute!