This post took forever to create. It’s the first post in June and I wanted to create something with cherries – I love cherries and jump on them as soon as I find them in the store. My first try was to create these Cherry Chunk Cookies and make ice cream sandwiches. I read in the comments that using fresh cherries worked. Well – while they tasted quite good (a little too soft maybe), they also turned blue/green in colour because of the cherry juice, which made them look hideous. So, I did not photograph them and we just ate them. I probably should have tossed the fresh cherries in some flour before adding them to the batter so the juice wouldn’t transfer.
After that, I decided to use the remaining cherries and create miniature cherry clafoutis based on Aran’s recipe. Again, they tasted great, but the custard was a dull beige colour and when I took my photos I found them to be uninspiring and not at all what I had in mind. I wanted bright and fun and pink! These two fails have led to a lot of dessert, more than we normally would have. Also know that I am very impatient, which is probably why I didn’t make the same recipe twice and work towards a different result. So I surprised myself when I attempted yet another recipe. This time back to my original thought of ice cream sandwiches. I could get the cherries and pink with ice cream and I decided to make brownies instead of cookies.
There you go. Fun, summery and cherries included! And these cute sandwiches are now living in the freezer until we have a real reason to eat another dessert. And yes, taking pictures of ice cream is a challenge – drip, drip, drip…
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 6 ounces coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- store bought cherry ice cream. Look for locally made for best results, or make your own.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper , allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); or use silicon mold.
- Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
- Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.
- Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.
- Once cooled, use a round cookie cutter to cut out pieces or cut into squares. Scoop small amount of ice cream on to back side of brownie and top with second brownie. Squeeze down slightly to ensure the ice cream and brownies stick together. Put into freezer and allow ice cream to fully freeze.
