Lately, I have been waking up feeling leaden. I'm not sure if it is the constant string of colds, the weather or just
plain being tired, but I am in need of a refresh. I am currently devising how I want to best approach this, but
I think my first step will be to get back to yoga and working out more consistently...until then, I have baking. It is my main mode of relaxation these day and ideas usually come
in surges like this one. Brownies are probably my go-to "comfort sweet," I think in part because my grandma always made them and over the years I have a recipe that
very closely matches hers. This is something completely different and a bit more fancy.
We are fans of a particular brand of Maraschino cherries - Luxardo and we usually like them best in an Old Fashioned.
Now these are not anything like the bright red, syrupy orbs that you might think of when you hear "Maraschino cherry".
I actually can't touch that variety after my little sister and I ate almost a whole jar once in our youth. If you don't have access
to Luxardo, then black cherries (fresh or frozen) will work just fine. This particular
brownie recipe is rich and decadent like fudge with the occasional surprise of a slightly tart, cherry bite.
Luxardo Cherry Brownies
Recipe for cherry brownies using Luxardo cherries, topped with chocolate ganache, a chocolate drizzle and strawberry dust. By Marysmaking
For Brownie
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate
- 6 T unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 T cocoa
- 1 pinch salt
- 15 - 25 Luxardo cherries (or dark cherries)
For Ganache
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 cup cream
- cherry juice
Optional
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate
- Freeze dried strawberries, ground to fine dust
- Directions
Preheat oven 350F.
For Brownie
Melt 1 cup chocolate and butter over double boiler.
When melted, remove chocolate from heat and beat eggs and sugar, then fold in chocolate.
Stir in flour, cocoa, and salt until just combined.
Pour batter into greased 8 x 8 pan (I sometimes use a tart pan with a removable bottom or line pan with parchment so I can lift the whole brownie out and cut more easily without mangling the goods.
Push cherries, evenly spaced, into batter.
Bake 16 - 18 minutes, then prepare ganache.
For Ganache
Melt chocolate over double boiler, remove from heat.
Pour cherry syrup into melted chocolate.
Heat cream until tiny bubbles form around the edge, but do not let boil.
Pour cream into chocolate and stir until glossy.
Pour over brownie and chill overnight in fridge or at least 4 hours.
If desired, drizzle melted chocolate over top and dust with strawberry dust.
I usually just melt the chocolate in an unsealed ziplock in the mircowave, then trim off the corner to drizzle.
I start with 30 seconds, squeeze the chips, then cut in half to 15 seconds and so on until the chips are melted.
