Cherries are flooding the supermarkets near me, for under $2 a pound. They’re one of the many things that I look forward to in summertime. Last weekend, we put a homebrewed sweet/sour cherry beer into secondary fermentation – should be ready next week. Made with 3 lbs of sweet roasted Bing cherries, and 3 lbs of sour Morello cherries. Excited to try it is an understatement. I’ve also been baking up plenty of sweet treats in the kitchen with these little gems – including, but not limited to, this fabulous ice cream and these delectable brownies!
A rich, fudgy brownie studded with juicy roasted cherries? I was sold on these the day last August when Annie posted them – but, cherries were back up to $5/lb at that point, and I resolved to put it off until next summer. Well, here we are my friends. I can safely tell you that these brownies are worth the wait. Hell, they’re so good – it’s worth paying $5 per pound for the cherries! I made them for a girls night last weekend, and they were a hit. I originally planned to serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, but they were so rich and decadent – I didn’t even bother. Make these, now!
Roasted Cherry Brownies
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1¼ cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Combine the cherries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a small roasting pan and toss well to combine. Roast the cherries for 10 minutes, or until they begin to release their juices. Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.
Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil (I used an 8×8 – yields a thicker brownie). Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, remaining sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. Gently fold in the roasted cherries. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares as desired. Store in an air-tight container.
Source: adapted from The Pastry Affair and Baking Illustrated, via Annie’s Eats
