birthday surprise ii: boozy brownies.

And the second part of B.'s birthday baking: boozy chocolate cherry brownies. This recipe popped up on 101 Cookbooks back in the spring and making it became a matter of not if but when. And while I think they would make a great dead-of-winter dessert, these port-soaked-cherry-studded brownies made a nice addition to our themed menu.

I made a few adjustments, mostly cutting back on both the sugar and chocolate. I know, cut back on the chocolate? Was I not myself? But these are more than rich enough even without the extra cup of chocolate chips in the batter. I also chopped the cherries roughly to distribute them more evenly - both my hands and my kitchen smelled strongly of port for an hour afterwards. Yum.

As the recipe warns, these are messy: chill them first, rinse your knife in warm water between each cut, and you'll still end up prying squidgy, sticky squares out of the pan. But no one will mind uneven edges or fudgy fingers, because these are deliciously intense. Intensely delicious. Yes.


Chocolate Cherry Brownies
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

2 c. (10.5 oz.) dried cherries (*I used tart rather than sweet)
scant 1 c. port wine
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
10.5 oz. dark chocolate
5 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
scant 1/2 c. sour cream

1. A day or two before you want to bake the brownies, combine the cherries and port in a med. bowl or container; cover and let sit, stirring every 12 hours, until almost all of the port has been absorbed. (*If you'd like, you can then chop the cherries before adding them to the batter.)


2. Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly butter and line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper in both directions - you'll need this sling to lift out the brownies later.

3. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

4. Heat chocolate, butter, and sugar in double boiler until chocolate has just melted. Transfer to bowl of electric mixer and allow to cool enough so that it won't cook the eggs. (*I turned the mixer on "stir" and let it go for a few minutes to let out some of the heat.)

5. Mixing on slow, add the eggs one at a time, letting the first get incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down bowl as necessary.

6. Add flour mixture and stir by hand until combined, then add sour cream and cherries, stirring again until just combined.


7. Spoon into the pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until just set. Allow to cool completely in pan. Chilling the brownies will help to slice them; rinsing off your knife between each cut helps too. Bring to room temp. for serving.