Periodically I get a
craving for chocolate. And when I do, I usually make Brownies. I like their
strong chocolate flavor and their moist texture and I also like how quick and
easy they are to make. A recent addition to my recipe file is these
Raspberry Brownies. There's no doubt that chocolate and raspberries are a
perfect combination, and I think it's because the sweet tanginess of the raspberries
nicely offsets the flavor of the dark chocolate. And if you have made the Raspberry Jam recipe
on the site, this is one recipe that you'll want to make.
To make Raspberry Brownies you
need only one bowl, a wire whisk and a spatula (or wooden spoon). The deep
chocolate flavor of these brownies comes from semisweet chocolate and a little
unsweetened cocoa powder (either natural unsweetened or Dutch-processed). As
always, the quality of the dark chocolate will affect the taste of your
brownies. For this recipe I typically use a chocolate with a 54% to 60% cacao
content. When choosing a chocolate, always buy one that you enjoy eating
out-of-hand.
The raspberry flavor comes from
raspberry jam, and you can use homemade (recipe here)
or store bought. We are not adding the jam directly to the brownie batter.
Instead once the batter is in the pan, we swirl dollops of the jam through the
brownie batter (similar to the cream cheese brownies). Now, the challenge with
Brownies is how long they should be baked. It is amazing how just a minute or
two will turn a moist brownie into one that is dry. So use the
stated baking time as a guide only and test the brownies a few minutes before
the end of the baking time. Test with a toothpick inserted into the center of
the brownies. These brownies are done when the toothpick still has a little
batter clinging to it and a few moist clumps. You do not want the toothpick to
be clean as this means the brownies have been over baked. At room temperature
these brownies are soft and cake-like, but when refrigerated their texture
becomes dense and fudgy. Either way, they are delicious.
Raspberry Brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180
degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a
nonstick cooking spray) an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan, and line the bottom of the
pan with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate and
butter in a large heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.
Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar. Next, whisk in the vanilla extract and
eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the flour
and salt.
Pour into
the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon or an offset
spatula. Place the raspberry jam in a piping bag and
pipe 16 small dollops (4
rows with 4 dollops of jam in each row)
(can also just place small spoonfuls of the jam)
evenly on top of the brownie batter. Run a knife or wooden skewer back and forth
through the two batters until you have a marble effect.
Bake for about
30 - 35
minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in
the center comes out with a little
batter and a few moist clumps clinging to it.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for a few hours. Serve at room
temperature or chilled. The brownies can be frozen.
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