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Sunday, February 3, 2008

Chocolate Cherry Merlot Brownies


There's something very classic about brownies and I thought they would make a great choice for Culinate's Death by Chocolate Contest. These brownies are so rich and intense, and the merlot soaked cherries surprise your every bight. Tested on friends and family, these brownies disappeared!


1 1/2 c dried cherries
1 c merlot wine
4 oz semi sweet chocolate
4 oz dark chocolate, 60% cocoa
1 1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350*F. Place cherries in a large bowl. Over medium high heat, warm merlot until just boiling. Pour wine over cherries, allowing them to steep, about 15 minutes. Drain cherries and discard wine.

Melting the chocolate:
Use a double boiler, or a bowl placed over a sauce pan with simmering water (what I did), to melt the chocolate. Stir chocolate as it melts, and keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't scorch. Chocolate should be smooth and creamy.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat another minute. Add flour and salt and mix well for another minute. With the mixer running on low, add the cherries to the batter and mix until moderately incorporated. Fill a square 9 in baking dish with batter and bake in oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies, comes out clean.

Cut into squares and prepare yourself for chocolate heaven.

9 comments:

test it comm said...

These sound amazing! I am always looking for tasty ways to use dried cherries. Simmering them in merlot and adding them to brownies sounds like a great idea!

roopa said...

I'm not a huge chocolate fan, but I love cherries with chocolate and red wine makes everything better - I just might have to try this out later this week!!!

Megan said...

Love chocolate, love cherries, And I really love merlot! Sounds like a winning combo. On the *to make* list!

Jaime said...

are you serious? merlot soaked cherries? mmmmm! hope we can both make it to the top 10 for the contest! :)

Anonymous said...

I hope I don't hurt myself in the rush to get to the kitchen to make a batch of these! Yummy!

Proud Italian Cook said...

Cherries and chocolate, and merlot, oh my!!! What a decadent combo Meghan!!! Absolutely yummy!!

Anonymous said...

I made these on Sunday night as the finale for my dinner featuring Chicken in A Pot. They were super yummy! Everyone who has tasted them loves them!

Julie said...

Chocolate, Cherry Merlot Brownies what more needs to be said other than "Heaven".

SueSanFrancisco said...

Mine are baking as I write and they smell great! Maybe a slight correction to the instructions - where to add the chocolate. I found this nearly exact recipe on the Baker's site, too. Thanks for sharing it!