One of the best ways to waste time on a rainy weekend is to bake up a storm; at least that's exactly what I did this past Saturday afternoon. “But Dylan if its raining, i don't want to go out and get soaking wet..” trust me, I don't blame you... neither do I; so I stick with simple desserts, with ingredients I can easily find around the house. If you're anything like me, you probably have flours, sugars, cocoa powder, eggs, and lots and lots of butter on hand at a spare notice. The first thing that comes to mind is BROWNIES, the darkest most chocolatey sin of any sweet tooth. Brownies have to be fudgie, a good balance of sweet and chocolatey, and have a dense crumb to meet my refined culinary pallet (just kidding i'll eat boxed mix). I don't say this that often… that something (dare I say it) is “the best”. Quite frankly I think these brownies are one of the best i've ever endulged in. This recipe meets all the requirements for a perfect brownie. Now with this recipe you don't have to put cherries in them, they were just something I had on hand, and I think chocolate and fresh cherries are a match made in seasonal heaven. You could replace the cherries with chocolate chips, nuts, or dried cranberries- be as daring a may. In addition to the cherries, I sprinkled chopped walnuts on top. Something my grandmother use to do whenever she made them. This is going to be your new favorite brownie recipe, so i'm sure you will get a few chances to experiment with add in! Whole grain cherry Brownies YIELD: 9”x13” pan TIME: 50 mins. Temp: 350F Ingredients: 8 oz. unsalted butter 15 oz. light brown sugar
10 oz pitted, dark cherries 2 ¼ oz. dutch-process cocoa, or unsweetened cocoa powder. 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 4 large eggs 6 oz. bread flour Method: Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9”x13” pan and dust with cocoa powder. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, add brown sugar and pitted cherries, and stir occasionally till mixture almost bubbles. In a small bowl, wisk together flour and baking powder till completely incorporated. Transfer the butter sugar mixture into a bowl, and mix in the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Once combined, add eggs and stir till smooth. Add four mixture and mix till smooth, do not over mix. Pour the batter into your greased baking pan and add chopped walnuts on top. Bake the brownies for 30 mins, or until a sharp knife, or cake tester poked into the center comes out clean. Cool completely, cut, and serve.