Chewy Gooey Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Rich, decadent Chocolate Cherry Brownies, gooey in the middle, with a tart cherry surprise.  Made with pure butter, chocolate, dried sour cherries,  cocoa & sugar… I’m sure there’s no calories in these.

Spring and early summer is birthday season here at Chez Gypsy.  First the Aries kiddo, then Gemini me, and finally my Cancer man, Chef B.  It’s just one long party.  The three year old in the house insists on candles and cake, and the three year old in me agrees!  Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s Bloomin’ Brilliant Brownies, we give you Chewy Gooey Chocolate Cherry Brownies,  just in time for cherry season.

Hint from the Gypsy kitchen, brownies should be a bit under-baked, unlike a cake.  When we a cake test for doness and the toothpick comes out clean we know we’re good to go, but brownies should be firm to the touch on the outside and still a bit giggly in the middle. The toothpick will still be wet with batter if we test with one.

In this recipe we’re working with real chocolate and butter, so leaving the middle a bit loose will mean that the brownies will be difficult to lift and plate until well cooled.  I recommend an hour or so of refrigeration.  Chef B likes his brownies VERY gooey and dense so these were even looser than I usually bake them,  so they sank in the middle, where the batter was a thick sticky mess – which made him super happy – and well it was his birthday.

Chewy Gooey Chocolate Cherry Brownies – Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 – 35 minutes

1 cup (250g) butter
7 ounces (200g) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (75g) dried sour cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (80g) cocoa powder
1/3 cup & 1 tablespoon (65g) flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (360g) sugar
4  eggs

Method:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350*F (180*C).  Spray a 9 inch square pan with non-stick spray, or if you choose to bake in the round, prep a 9 inch spring form pan with non-stick spay and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2.  Place a medium sized bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt the butter and chocolate until only small pieces remain, then remove from heat and mix well with spatula until smooth.  Add cherries and vanilla to melted chocolate and stir to coat.

3.  In a separate large bowl add cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and whisk well to blend.   Add  the chocolate cherry mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together well.

4.  Break and beat the eggs together in a small bowl, then add to chocolate batter and blend well until you have an even consistency.  Do not beat and do not mix in a standing mixer, this will only make your brownies tough.  All you need is a bit of elbow grease to bring them together into a silky batter.

5.  Pour the brownie mix into your prepared pan, and place on the center rack of the oven for 30 – 35 minutes.  Allow to cool in the tray, then refrigerate to firm completely.   You can serve chocolate cherry brownies cut into chunky squares or gorgeous wedges, like a pie.

Just to add a dash of extra cherry flavour, I whipped up a bit of fresh cherry sauce, sweetened with honey.  These brownies are so soft they melt in the heat (you can see the tip of the wedge starting to droop as I the shoot in the garden), and dissolve into a puddle of chocolaty goo in your mouth.

Pure chocolate-cherry bliss.  Enjoy.