Gourmet Cherry Chocolate Brownies

These ordinary looking brownies pack a gourmet punch. With the addition of wine rehydrated dried fruit, these Gourmet Cherry Chocolate Brownies were rich, super fudgy and irresistible.

Fudgy Cherry Chocolate Brownies

As the bloggers in my Dorie Greenspan cooking groups are well aware, additions like nuts or dried fruit in desserts are frowned upon by my husband. So when I spotted dried cherries and ruby port or fruity red wine in the ingredients for these fudgy cherry chocolate brownies, I knew this recipe as written wasn’t going to fly.

I only soaked a quarter cup of the cherries and sprinkled them over one designated section of my batter. These were the brownies I took for my girlfriends to sample, and I wasn’t surprised that I got an overwhelmingly positive response. As for the 3/4 batch without any fruit, well, the purists raved about them, too. A winning recipe no matter how you shake it.

An Unusual Gourmet Brownie Recipe

These unusual, gourmet cherry chocolate brownies bake up with a dull finish, cut a little awkwardly with the smattering of dried fruit, but their looks can deceive. This one bowl recipe is easy to whip up, yet may be one of the better chocolate concoctions to come out of my kitchen. With both melted chocolate and chocolate shards, die hard chocoholics will get their fix.

And Dorie’s explicit instructions for reconstituting the fruit, using cold eggs, under baking, almost guarantee success. Though a few of the Doristas found they needed more than the 27-29 minute baking time, I found 30 minutes to be perfect. I kept these cherry chocolate brownies chilled where they transformed to almost a fudge-like state. If you’re a fan of cherries and brownies, these will not disappoint!

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The Recipe:

Gourmet Cherry Chocolate Brownies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 29 minutes

Total Time 49 minutes

Yield 36 servings

A Dorie Greenspan one bowl gourmet brownie recipe slightly adapted from BHG

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fruity red wine or ruby port
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 1/2 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate or 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

Instructions

1. Position oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 325º. Line an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan with non-stick foil. Or use regular foil and butter. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the wine or port and water to boiling. Add dried cherries; cook and stir over low heat until the fruit is soft and plump and liquid evaporates.
3. Place the cherries into a bowl to cool.
4. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (be sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl). Place the butter in the bowl and add the chocolate.
5. Heat until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove the bowl from the heat.
6. Stir until butter and chocolate are smooth.
7. Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated.
8. Add eggs one at a time, stirring until the batter is smooth and glossy. Whisk in salt.
9. Gently whisk in the flour, stirring just till combined.
10. Using a spatula, stir in the port-soaked cherries and any liquid and the remaining 4 1/2 ounces chopped chocolate.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
12. Bake 27-29 minutes (longer if needed, but be careful not to over-bake).
13. Place pan on a cooling rack.
14. When cooled, carefully flip the brownies onto a cutting board. Peel away the foil, flip them back over, then cut into 36 squares.

Notes

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1 small brownie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 31mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 1g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

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