Chocolate Cherry Brownies

I’m a sucker for new baking pans, kitchen gadgets and so on. I spotted this baking pan at the department store the other day and I just had to get it. I tried to tell myself that it would be fairly versatile, as I could use it to make bar cookies, brownies, small cakes, etc.

I thought I would start with a brownie recipe, since brownie recipes are fairly foolproof and forgiving. I was originally going to make a filled brownie, but there wasn’t enough brownie batter to cover the filling. I did make some filled ones, so if that sounds good to you, you’ll need to make more batter. I think these would be good with a cream cheese icing, but I decided to keep it simple and just go with the chocolate cherry combination.

4 oz. semisweet chocolate

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

I teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a baking pan that has 12 2-inch square openings. I greased the pan, but I think it would have been fine ungreased.

Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Put the melted chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add the eggs until all the ingredients are combined.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. On low, fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Fill the individual squares about half full. Top with a teaspoon of cherry pie filling. Bake for about 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean. (Alternatively, you could bake the brownies in an 8 inch square pan. Top with cherry pie filling and swirl. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.)

Recipe adapted from Ghirardelli Classic Brownies