It’s official.  I’m a soccer mom.  We even picked up a minivan this summer despite my husband wailing and kicking against the inevitable “suburban mom car” he knew was upon us.  Now our next 10 Saturdays are scheduled with cheering for our 1st grader and Kindergartener and watching them swarm across the field back and forth running after the ball that miraculously makes its way into a goal post once in a while.  Did I mention my husband is coaching my son’s 1st grade team?  He’s an avid sports fan and loves basketball, football, and baseball, but soccer…  Let’s just say he’ll be learning as he goes.  Who knows, he just may add soccer to his list of favorite sports soon.

I have a huge sweet tooth, but then, I don’t like sweets too sweet.  Does that make sense?  I like desserts, but I like to cut back on the sugar when I’m baking and like light Asian bakery cakes better than the creamed butter frosting covered cakes (although I eat those too).  So whenever I bake, I cut out some of the sugar that the recipe calls for and I usually don’t run into any issues with the final product.  This Chocolate Cherry Brownies I made from the recipe book “Chicken and Egg” was so fudge-y and delicious with the tart cherries adding the perfect compliment to the rich, chocolate-y brownies studded with chocolate chips!  It made one big 9×13 pan of brownies and I had to give some away after I started to feel my waistline disappear…  Even after cutting out some of the sugar, it was still rich because of the chocolate chips embedded in the brownies; a good thing too, otherwise, I might have finished the entire pan of brownies.  It really hit the spot though when I was craving those decadent chocolate treats that my body craves (not me, my body) every once in a while.  😉  The recipe calls for a chocolate frosting to cover the brownies with, but I thought that was a bit overkill… maybe I’ll try frosting it next time I’m really in the mood for death by chocolate.

Chocolate Cherry Fudge-y brownies

(adapted from “chicken and egg”)

ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (60% cacao) (I used Trader Joe’s dark choc.)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Trader Joe’s)
• 1 ³/₄ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ¹/₄ tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 eggs, room temp (place cold eggs in warm water)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I used about 1/2)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 oz semisweet choc chips
• 1 cup dried tart cherries (I used Trader Joe’s)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and coat a 13″ x 9″ glass pan with nonstick spray.  Melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave at 50% power in 30 sec increments until warm and melted.  Whisk smooth then set aside to cool.
2. Whisk the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.  In large bowl, beat the eggs then add the sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add the chocolate mixture and mix then on low speed, add the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips and cherries then pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownies are set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (if you can find a spot to test that doesn’t have melted chocolate)  Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack.
4. Cut and enjoy~

*Optional Frosting

• 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 TB unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

-Combine ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and melt at 50% power for 30 sec intervals until it is melted and smooth.  Spread over the brownies before you cut.

I didn’t use the frosting and it was already very rich with all the chocolate chips mixed into the brownie batter.