Red Wine Truffle Brownies

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 cup red wine, reduced to 2/3 cup, divided
  • 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I like Ghiraradelli)
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter, cut into pieces 
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
  • 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips + 2 tablespoons chopped and reserved for topping 
  • 1/2 cup dried chopped cherries + 2 tablespoons reserved for topping

For Red Wine Chocolate Ganache:

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup reserved red wine reduction
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Red Wine Glaze:

  • 2 tablespoons reserved wine reduction
  • 2 tablespoons sugar 

For Topping:

  • A couple tablespoons reserved dried cherries, chopped
  • A couple tablespoons chopped white chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon red wine glaze

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper if desired to help prevent sticking.

  1. Bring red wine to boil in a small pot over medium heat, turn to medium low and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes or until mixture is reduced by about half. Remove 1/2 cup of this mixture to set aside for the brownie batter. Pour 1/2 of remaining mixture from pan into small dish with the dried cherries and leave the rest in the pot to make a syrup later.
  2. In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the chopped chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
  3. Stir the brown sugar and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Add 1/2 cup of the red wine reduction to the batter and stir to incorporate. Add the eggs and mix well.
  4. In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Slowly fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture, mixing well until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and dried chopped soaked cherries and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake 20-23 minutes, for fudgier brownie consistency. Remove from the oven and cool. 
  6. While brownies are cooling make ganache. Heat cream until it gets hot and starts to bubble at edges. Avoid bringing to full boil. 
  7. Pour cream over chocolate chips in a bowl and let sit for a minute or two. Then stir to combine the cream and melting chocolate until smooth and bits of chocolate remain. 
  8. Add in the reserved wine reduction and stir again until fully combined in the ganache. Cool at room temperature for about an hour until thickened and spreadable.
  9. For the red wine glaze: Add 2 Tablespoons of sugar to the remaining wine reduction in the pot and boil a few minutes over medium low until it thickens into a syrup-like consistency, watching carefully so that it doesn’t burn. Set aside to cool. 
  10. Once brownies are cool remove carefully from baking pan in one slab by running a knife around the edge if the pan and using a spatula to run underneath the center of the brownies to keep them pulling apart. Carefully invert to remove brownies and place face up on a wire rack or cutting board.
  11. Spoon ganache out onto brownie slab and spread to cover thoroughly. Let sit a bit longer to set. Then sprinkle chopped dried cherries and white chocolate and sprinkle over brownies. Cut into squares and drizzle with any remaining red wine syrup.

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