Dark Chocolate-Cherry Brownies

In an article on "Cravings" in the September issue of Cooking Light, I found a recipe for these brownies. They sounded too good to be true--how could a low fat brownie possibly satisfy any craving? I have been disappointed with low-cal baking in the past: My Blueberry Coffee Cake got soggy, other cookies were too dense, and I've become convinced that egg substitute cannot be used in baking. At least not in my baking. And for heaven's sake, don't try to use regular eggs when the recipe calls for substitute--that's worse than using the substitute in the first place! So I always have my eye out for Cooking Light baking recipes that use normal ingredients. This one is unbelievable. 

I don't usually like fruit and chocolate together, although I have become a chocolate-dipped strawberry convert. But fruit pizzas drizzled with chocolate or even trail mixes with dried fruit and M&Ms don't tempt me. But something about this recipe intrigued me. It used cherry preserves rather than actual cherries, so there was no weird texture combination, a big problem for me. The photo in the magazine suggested that these would be the dense, chewy, fudgy brownies that I loved. And they are sprinkled with powdered sugar. After seeing a picture of Nigella Lawson's brownies dusted with powdered sugar and gold powder sparkling in birthday candlelight, and then last December's Cooking Light cover photo, displaying chocolate cupcakes enjoying a powdered sugar snowfall, I am easily seduced by this chocolate-powdered sugar pair. 

I worried also that the cherry flavor would seem strange with no noticeable fruit source in the brownie itself. I even considered adding some dried cherries, though this would seem to directly contradict my dislike for that textural combination. I recognized this at the time--I just worry too much.

Finally, I made the brownies following the recipe exactly. And they were perfect. The cherry flavor was a lovely muted sweet-sourness--it added depth and really brought out the dark chocolate. It even kept the brownies from being too sweet. And the powdered sugar, added right before serving (or it will soak in--these are super moist brownies) is, almost literally, the icing on the cake. 

Dark Chocolate-Cherry Brownies

(adapted from Cooking Light, September 2008)

Yields 16 brownies.

Cooking spray

3/4 cup (3.4 oz.) AP flour

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cherry preserves

1/3 cup water

5 T butter

1 lg. egg, lightly beaten

1 lg. egg white

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Spray a 9-in. square baking pan with cooking spray. (If it is not a really good non-stick pan, line it with parchment paper, then spray.)

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

4. Combine cherry preserves, water, and butter in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. 

5. Add preserves mixture to flour mixture; stir well.

6. Add the egg and egg white; stir until smooth.

7. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

8. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. 

9. Cool in pan on wire rack. Right before serving, dust lightly with powdered sugar.