These are not your grandma’s brownies! Oh. No. The chocolate is dark and the butter is roasted. And we sloshed in some fine Frenchy black raspberry liqueur, chopped nuts and, hello, a double shot of good espresso (the kind that comes with tons of crema floating on top). Boom baby!

You know we’re all about charming vintage cakes around here…but there comes a time when we just might feel the urge to go #WHNA. That means Whole Hog New Age (just made that up.) So we’ll be tucking away Grandma’s old-fashioned brownies recipe card. (They are awesome brownies, dearest Grandma, don’t get me wrong.) ‘Cause we’re changing them up a bit to go high-end with ’em.

We’re doing: toasted butter (aka roasted butter, aka beurre noisette), heavenly dark chocolate, a “doble” shot of espresso, a nice mix of fresh nuts and a big slosh of black raspberry liqueur.  We’ll make these little darlins’ thinner than the norm in a cookie pan for little bites, top them with a smidgen of chocolate boozy ganache and a fresh berry. And we’ll dust them with a tiny sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Each one a precious little gem for a special occasion. Maybe even for a cookie exchange party ’cause I think brownies are the perfect sweet cross between cake and cookies. 

These little delights will fit in well at any dessert table, or serve just one on an elegant little plate with Chambord or with a Chambord Kir Royale Cocktail (Chambord and Champagne). You might also want to use a different dark liqueur, or go virgin style with a flavored berry syrup.

Chambord, of course, is the name of a super awesome French liqueur that is made with red and precious black raspberries, Madagascar Chambord vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel and honey. Of course, it is a secret recipe that includes “spirits”, as in fine French Cognac. Oh yes!

Ingredients for Boozy Brownie Bites (in order of preparation):

1 cup mixture of nuts, chopped (we used equal portions of pecans, walnuts and almonds)
1-1/4 cups (6 ounces) dark chocolate, chopped (we used 60% bittersweet cacao chocolate)
1/2 cup (1 cube/stick) unsalted butter, toasted or roasted or browned
1/4 cup cocoa powder (we used natural unsweetened cocoa)
3 Tablespoons (1-1/2 ounces) espresso (substitute strong coffee)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking power
1/4 teaspoon salt (I like “Redmond Real” brand salt)
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, fine quality
1/4 cup Chambord brand black raspberry liqueur (or use a sweet, dark liqueur or go non-alcoholic with a black raspberry syrup)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter (for brushing tops of baked brownies)
About 40 fresh raspberries and blackberries (to top each serving)
1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar (for sprinkling on top of cooled brownies)
1/4 cup of my chocolate ganache recipe (see recipe below, for topping)

Prepare For Action!

Set your oven rack to center position and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a cookie sheet pan by spraying it with cooking spray, lining it with parchment paper to overlap all edges and rub the paper lightly with softened butter or spray the top of the paper with cooking spray.

Tip: We used parchment that was 1.25 ft. wide so it only needed a little trimming on one side.

Chop the Nuts and Dark Chocolate!

Chop finely and set aside:
1 cup nuts, chopped (we used walnuts, pecans and almonds in equal portions)
1-1/3 cups (6-1/4 ounces) dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated (we used 60% bittersweet cacao chocolate)

Brown That Butter (for a nutty flavor)!

In a small heavy skillet (like a small cast iron pan), brown to golden on medium heat, stirring constantly:
1/2 cup (1 cube) unsalted butter

Brown Butter Tip: Use a small, iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan to prevent burning or scorching. Stir constantly over medium heat for about 4 minutes until some of the water in the butter (foam) disappears and there are little specs of golden brown. Only the milk solids in the center of the pan will turn golden along with a light golden tinge to the outer ring of foam. Using a temperature probe, our butter reached perfection at a momentary 280 degrees (although yours could brown at a reduced temperature) before quickly removing the pan from the heat, continuing to stir to cool it down a bit. P.S. Your kitchen now smells like popcorn. Yum.

Chocolate Skillet Time!

Into the skillet of browned melted butter on super-low heat, add in, stirring constantly until smooth and melted (about 30 seconds), and set aside:
1-1/4 cups (6 ounces) dark chocolate, chopped (we used 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (we used natural unsweetened cocoa)
3 Tablespoons (1-1/2 ounces) espresso (substitute strong coffee)

Tip: The chocolate mixture will thicken as it cools. If for any reason it thickens too much while you prepare the next ingredients you may add a tiny bit of momentary heat to soften it up to a silky smooth milkshake consistency.

Dry Ingredients Bowl!

In a large bowl, stir with a whisk to thoroughly incorporate:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking power
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using a wooden spoon, stir in:
the prepared chopped nuts

Eggs-Sugar Bowl!

Using an electric mixer in a medium bowl, beat on high-speed for about 5 minutes until light and creamy:
3 large eggs

Add in and beat on medium-speed about 1 minute:
1 cup granulated sugar

Back to the Chocolate Skillet!

Now that the butter-chocolate mixture has cooled to about room temperature, stir in:
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, fine quality
1/4 cup Chambord black raspberry liqueur (substitute blackberry syrup for non alcohol version)

Mix It All Together!

Using a rubber spatula, fold into the Dry Ingredient Bowl in one-third portions each:
the prepared Chocolate Skillet ingredients (making sure it is cooled somewhat to a warm temperature, but not hot)
the prepared Eggs-Sugar Bowl ingredients

Using a rubber spatula, spread the batter on the prepared paper-lined cookie sheet (with paper draping over the edges of the pan).

Bake This Cake!

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for approximately 20 to 25 minutes to a temperature of 210 degrees, but you can reduce the time and temperature depending on the way you like your brownies (from a little moist to drier baked).

Tip: Our brownies were cooked to 212 degrees with a toothpick coming mostly clean. Remember, these are thinner brownies because they are spread out in a larger cookie sheet pan – so they cook faster. 

Brush with a little unsalted butter while warm and cover tightly with foil.

When cool, use a sharp knife to divide into 2″x 2″ squares.

Use a strainer or sifter tool to lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Little Dollop of Ganache!

Now let’s up the dolled-up quotient with a little zip of chocolate ganache that is super simple to make and adds just that extra dash of special that we are looking for in little darlins’.

For a dollop of chocolate ganache to ring the fresh berry topping, we’ll melt some dark chocolate in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds or so until lightly melted), adding in some cold sour cream and a tablespoon of Chambord, then stirring to smooth-smoth-smooth.

Top each brownie with a fresh raspberry. We used about 40 fresh berries.

If serving as a single dessert, cut the portions larger and top each portion with whipped cream and a few fresh blackberries or red raspberries. Be sure to add just a touch of powdered sugar on top for an extra hit of fun!

Thank you for joining me for this romp down the kitchen arts. It’s been so much fun to prepare and I hope you enjoy this if you get the chance to create some set-aside time for a special dessert. You might even want to bring them to a fun cookie exchange party like the one I attended with the FBLA (Food Bloggers LA) foodies. And what a delicious time it was, indeed!

Warm regards,

Leslie

Here’s a peek at a few of our Cookie Exchange Party cookies shared by my fabulous foodie friends at FBLA!