Roasted cherry brownies

I was so excited about my new OXO cherry pitter that I wanted to make another recipe with it right away (after initially making this cherry chocolate chip ice cream). Luck must have been on my side because Laura from Tide and Thyme posted these roasted cherry brownies the morning I made my ice cream. I knew that I would be hard pressed for time during the afternoon that I wanted to make these, but I managed and made it work.

Again, I had a blast pitting the cherries, and I also had fun roasting cherries for the first time ever. These brownies are good, and the roasted cherries really make it excellent. The brownies themselves weren't fudgy enough for my personal tastes, so next time I may use my tried and true brownie base from King Arthur Flour to start.  If you are a fan of cherry-flavored brownies, you may want to add more roasted cherries or even cherry extract to the batter. Otherwise, these roasted cherry brownies will be a great addition to your brownie repertoire!

Ingredients

• 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

Directions

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 a silicone 8×8 pan for 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:  Tide and Thyme; originally from Annie's Eats