As I wandered through the grocery store mid-August, I spied the produce bin full of cherries.
Yum, I thought to myself.
Just then, the produce manager began to speak, well entice, me and the rest of my fellow shoppers with the idea that we should all catch the last of the summer cherries before they are gone for the season.
Of course we should!
So, I did.
And, I decided I wanted to bake something with these red, ripe cherries.
Something chocolate-y. Super-chocolate-y. Double dark chocolate-y.
So, I baked brownies: Double Dark Cherry Brownies.
Oh yum. And, since the season is over, feel free to thaw frozen cherries and use them in the same way.
Bing!
Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies
1 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs. real maple syrup
3/4 cup +1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 oz. melted semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup fresh (or frozen) cherries, pitted and chopped
Preheat the oven at 325. Grease an 8-inch brownie pan and line with parchment paper (paper is not necessary – just easier to get the treats out of the pan).
Combine the butter, sugar, maple syrup, cocoa powder, salt in a bowl, as well as melted chocolate. Stir in vanilla and and whisk in eggs until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Slowly sift in the flour until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks and cherries.
Place batter in prepared baking pan and bake for about 20 min in an 8-inch pan, or for about 35-40 minutes in a loaf pan – until a toothpick comes out with moist batter.
Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.
