Roasted Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Rich, fudgy brownies loaded with jammy roasted cherries and chocolate chips for a bakery-style treat.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cherries washed, pitted, and halved
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar for roasting cherries
- 1 1/3 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup neutral oil such as canola or vegetable
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean paste
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the halved cherries with 1 teaspoon of sugar, spread in a single layer on the sheet, and roast for 15 to 18 minutes until glossy, softened, and surrounded by syrupy juices. Cool completely on the pan.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 inch metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt until well combined and no cocoa streaks remain.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the 1 1/3 cups sugar, eggs, and egg yolk. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer on high speed, beat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick, and falls from the beaters in ribbons.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in the melted butter, oil, and vanilla, mixing just until smooth and fully combined.
- Using a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in two additions, stopping as soon as no dry spots remain and the batter looks thick and glossy.
- Reserve about half of the roasted cherries for topping. Gently fold the remaining cherries and all of the chocolate chips into the batter, being careful not to crush the fruit too much.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the corners, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are set and just beginning to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted near the edge comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter; the center should still look slightly soft and shiny.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and let the brownies cool completely in the pan. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm.
- Lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment overhang. Spoon the reserved roasted cherries evenly over the top, then slice into 16 squares and serve.
Notes
- Use a metal pan for the most even baking and fudgy texture; glass pans tend to overbake the edges.
- Be sure the roasted cherries are fully cooled before folding into the batter to avoid warming and thinning the mixture.
- Whipping the eggs and sugar for the full 5 minutes helps create the shiny, crinkly top and dense fudgy middle.
- For clean slices, chill the brownies well and wipe the knife blade between cuts.
- Be sure the roasted cherries are fully cooled before folding into the batter to avoid warming and thinning the mixture.
- Whipping the eggs and sugar for the full 5 minutes helps create the shiny, crinkly top and dense fudgy middle.
- For clean slices, chill the brownies well and wipe the knife blade between cuts.