Description

I first learned about the chocolate-chile combination when I saw the movie Chocolat. I was so intrigued that I raced home to make a cup of chile-laced hot chocolate just to test the theory. No matter that I’d attended the late show. Curiosity won out over sleep. I’ve been playing with variations of this duo ever since. A rich, chewy brownie seemed the perfect platform. The tartness of the cherries plays against the smoky warmth of the chile, and it’s all wrapped up in a rich, deep dark chocolate brownie.

Scale

Ingredients

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1⁄3 cup milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper (1⁄2 teaspoon if you want only a hint of heat)
1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
 1 cup granulated sugar
 1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped dried cherries
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 2 large eggs, at room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ x 9″ baking pan with an extra-long piece of foil that hangs over opposite edges. Spray with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate, milk, and butter together gently. You can do this in the microwave oven on medium power in 60-second bursts, stirring in between. Alternatively, you can place the chocolate, milk, and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir gently until all ingredients are dissolved.
Into a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Add the chile pepper, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar and stir until well blended. Add the cherries and toss to coat with the flour mixture. This way they won’t sink to the bottom while baking.
Whisk the vanilla into the eggs. Add the egg mixture to the melted chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the pan, pushing the batter to the edges.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted halfway between the side and the center comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool on a rack before removing from the pan using the foil overhang. Do not turn the brownies out upside down. They will not survive being uprighted. Instead, leave the brownies in the foil and cut them into squares as needed. Leaving the pan of brownies intact as long as you can helps keep them moist. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche or with nothing else at all.
To store, just wrap the foil around the brownies and store in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag with the air squeezed out.

Notes

This recipe is excerpted from [url href=”http://themessybaker.com/the-messy-baker-buy-now/” title=”Buy Now!”]The Messy Baker: More than 75 Delicious Recipes from a Real Kitchen[[/url] by Charmian Christie. Published by Rodale and HarperCollins Canada .