I have three, or maybe four, brownie recipes in my repertoire of ‘squares’.
This may be my favourite. When you want dense, chewy, really chocolatey goodness, these are fab!
I made these on Valentine’s Day and dressed them up Black Forest Style with sour cherry sauce.
A dollop of freshly whipped cream would not have gone amiss; but there was none in the fridge and they tasted just fine without it. No need to gild the lily!
Fudgey Brownies with sour cherry sauce and dusted with icing sugar.
A slightly unusual method, but trust me, this works! Best results are obtained when you use top quality, and preferably organic ingredients. And only one bowl to wash up!
Coryna’s Fudgey Brownies
3/4 cup organic cocoa ( I like Green & Black’s)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup melted butter (if using unsalted, add a pinch of sea salt to the batter)
1/2 cup boiling water
2 (scant) cups white sugar
2 large eggs (organic, free range)
1 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
optional:
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Sour Cherry Sauce
2 cups canned sour* cherries in light syrup (these usually come in clear glass jars)
2-3 tablespoons sugar
3-4 teaspoons cornstarch
*Sour cherries really are the best for baking, whether for pies or sauce such as this. Sweet cherries will not give the same sweet-tart taste that compliments the dark chocolate so well.
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
Butter and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan, or two 9×9 pans
Sift the cocoa and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
Add half of the melted butter.
Blend on low. Stop the mixer and pour in the boiling water.
Beat until thick – start slowly, you don’t want to get splashed by the hot water. If you have a spatter shield, use it!
Add the remaining melted butter, the sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the mixture. Beat well.
Finally, stir in the flour (and the walnuts, if you are adding them).
Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s).
Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes*.
* Time will vary depending on the pan you have used, how thick or thin the batter is spread out and the oven. You can check with a knife or skewer. If it comes out clean, your brownies are done.
Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool in the pan on a wire rack.
While the brownies are baking, make the cherry sauce.
Sour Cherry Sauce
Pour the cherries and most of the liquid into a saucepan.
Add the sugar to the cherries.
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2-4 tablespoons of the cherry liquid until smooth.
Heat the cherries and sugar over medium high heat.
When they come to a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture.
Bring to a gentle boil stirring softly, but constantly.
When thickened, remove from heat.
Serving
Cut the brownies, garnish with a spoonful of cherry sauce, dust with icing sugar.
Enjoy!
Sour Cherries in syrup, product of Hungary!
Since fresh sour cherries are not in season just now and even when they are, they are overshadowed by their sweet cousins, canned cherries are just fine.
I was so pleased to find this jar of Hungarian pitted sour cherries at the local grocer’s. Love the ingredient list…sour cherries, water, sugar. That’s it!
