Roasted Cherry Brownies

I went to the Farmer’s Market last weekend, and of course the second we got there it started to rain. If anything, our weather in the Pacific Northwest lately has had a lot of variety. It’s a little early for some produce, but some farmers come over from Eastern Washington, where the weather is a lot nicer. I was able to pick up some fresh sweet cherries. Nice to buy cherries from a local place! (Of course, it’s nothing like the buying cherries from a guy out of his truck parked by the side of the road, with the inevitably misspelled sign!)

I bought two pounds of cherries and then I had to figure out what to do with them. 2 pounds sounds like a lot, but isn’t enough, say, to make a pie. I searched and found a couple of recipes and stumbled on this one. Roasted cherries? In a brownie? How interesting. I decided to give them a try.

Ok, so pitting cherries is tedious and my kitchen looked like a crime scene when I was done, but I think it was worth it. The cherries roast up to a beautiful soft and fragrant fruit. They almost melt into the brownie batter. The brownies are quite gooey, with the softness of the fruit, but they are just lovely. They are sweet, but not too much. Chocolate and cherry is the perfect combination, and these brownies are an interesting way to combine these flavors.

Roasted Cherry Brownies

2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved

1 cup flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

½ cup butter, cut into quarters

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.

In a medium bowl, combine the cherries and 2 tablespoons sugar; toss to combine. Spread on the baking sheet and roast the cherries for 10 minutes.

Remove the cherries from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil and spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.

In a double boiler or in the microwave, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder and again mix until smooth. Set aside to cool. 

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, 1 cup sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk until well combined. Stir in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture. Add the flour and stir with a spatula; just until combined. Gently stir in the roasted cherries. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, remove from the pan, peel away the foil, and cut into squares.

Recipe from Manu’s Menu