I have mentioned before that I am a lazy baker who does not like to wash extra dishes. The brownie layer can be made in one bowl, and you can mix it with a hand mixer, or even a wooden spoon. Melt the butter and chocolate first, and then add your other ingredients to the same bowl. Brownies don't like to be over mixed, so a wooden spoon can work just fine.

Use a 9x13 metal baking pan.

I've addressed this in previous posts, but brownies should be baked in a metal baking pan. Glass conducts heat differently, and you are more likely to have underbaked brownies if you use a glass pan. It's not to say you can't make adjustments if glass is your only baking option, but metal will yield best results. This is especially important for these brownies. I love a good gooey brownie, but we need to make sure this brownie can support toppings. This is still a fudgy brownie, but it has enough structure to hold the toppings, and to give some texture contrast- a mouthful of chocolate cherry goo was not the goal here.

If you must use a glass pan...

Make sure your oven has preheated for at least 30 minutes. Place your glass pan on a metal cookie sheet to bake. Reduce your oven temperature to 325, and increase your bake time. Use a toothpick inserted into the very center of your brownies to check for doneness. You want moist crumbs, but not liquid on the toothpick. Glass pans are known to bake the edges quickly and leave the center soupy.

Keep an eye on bake times.

Ordinarily, I suggest erring on the side of underbaking since brownies will continue to set up once removed from the oven. For this recipe, however, use the toothpick method to make sure brownies are done. As noted above, you want moist crumbs, but not liquid on the toothpick. The brownies are the base layer for this dessert so they should be done enough to support the toppings.

Feel free to cut the recipe in half.

I like sweets, but this is a lot of brownie/dessert. You can cut the recipe in half and bake this in an 8" square pan.

What cherries should you use?

In the brownie I use dried cherries. I prefer Mariani cherries (as pictured above) because they are a bit more tart. For the filling, you can use whatever fresh or frozen cherry you prefer, but again, I like a bit of tartness since the dessert is so sweet. I used frozen tart pie cherries in this recipe.

You may need to adjust the powdered sugar.

When making the filling, you are looking for a light, creamy, frosting-like layer. With enough mixing, I have been successful with the measurements given in this recipe. Cherries will have different levels of juice, however, so you may need to add a bit of powdered sugar to get the consistency just right. Follow the notes in the recipe.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Brownies - Just Desserts Bakehouse

Chocolate Covered Cherry Brownies

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A fudgy brownie layer topped with sweet, creamy cherry filling and finished with chocolate topping makes for a delicious treat.

Author: Darla McVay

Ingredients

Scale

For the Brownie Layer:

12 oz chocolate chips

3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup dried cherries

For the Filling:

1 cup butter at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup pitted cherries fresh or frozen and thawed

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cherry or almond extract*

For the topping:

12 oz chocolate chips

1 Tablespoon butter

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9×13 metal baking pan with parchment.

For the brownies: In a microwave safe bowl melt the butter and chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and incorporated. Stir in the sugars and mix to incorporate. Add the eggs and stir to blend. Fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Once incorporated, add the dried cherries. Spread the brownie batter into the baking pan and bake for 22-25 minutes until set. Allow the brownies to cool to room temperature before topping with the cherry filling.

For the filling: Place cherries (fresh or thawed, include juice if thawed) in a blender and pulse a few times to form a chunky cherry puree. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, or using a stand mixer, mix butter, powdered sugar, salt and extract until light and fluffy. Add the cherry puree and continue to mix until well incorporated. The filling may appear wet or have a slightly curdled texture before the cherry has fully incorporated. Continue to mix, and the texture should resolve to become a light, creamy frosting.* Spread the filling over the cooled brownies.

For the topping: Again, using a microwave, combine the chocolate and 1 Tablespoon of butter. Melt the chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds. Once melted, pour over the cherry filling and spread gently to cover. Allow the chocolate to set before cutting into servings.

Notes

Cherry extract will boost the cherry flavor in the filling for this dessert. Almond extract works well as a substitute.

The cherry juice should incorporate into the filling with enough mixing. Having said that, however, some cherries will have more juice than others. If, after mixing for several minutes, the filling still seems wet instead of creamy, increase the powdered sugar by 1/4 to 1/2 cup, adding a few Tablespoons at a time.

Find it online: https://justdessertsbakehouse.com/chocolate-covered-cherry-brownies/