Everything this time of year needs a touch of Christmas red & green. A welcoming wreath on the front door and mistletoe waiting on the other side. Christmas lights and Christmas ornaments and Christmas cards. Red and green wrapped presents waiting under the tree, and empty stockings above the fireplace. Even the darkest of chocolate brownies, decorated and enriched with red cranberries and green pistachios.
If you don’t mind sharing, these homemade baked goodies are a wonderful gift. But they should come with a warning label – Caution: May cause memory loss. The melt in your mouth texture, the perceived lightness in each bite, will cause you to forget how many you’ve eaten.
Dark Chocolate Christmas Brownie by Season with Spice
What you'll need:
180g of good quality dark chocolate (>70% cocoa) - broken into pieces
150g or 2/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso (optional)
3 eggs
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Method
1. Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan, and line it with parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
3. Add a few cups of water into a small pot and heat to a simmer. Add the chocolate and butter into a metal bowl and place the bowl on top of the simmering pot. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in vanilla paste (and instant espresso). Then set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until creamy. Make sure the sugar is dissolved.
5. Stir in melted chocolate. Then stir in flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Finally, add pistachios and cranberries. Do not over mix.
6. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. When finished (toothpick in the middle should come out easy, with a bit of melted chocolate on it), let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Note:
- For a more dense, rich brownie, add one egg yolk.
What you'll need:
180g of good quality dark chocolate (>70% cocoa) - broken into pieces
150g or 2/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso (optional)
3 eggs
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Method
1. Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan, and line it with parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
3. Add a few cups of water into a small pot and heat to a simmer. Add the chocolate and butter into a metal bowl and place the bowl on top of the simmering pot. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in vanilla paste (and instant espresso). Then set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until creamy. Make sure the sugar is dissolved.
5. Stir in melted chocolate. Then stir in flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Finally, add pistachios and cranberries. Do not over mix.
6. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. When finished (toothpick in the middle should come out easy, with a bit of melted chocolate on it), let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Note:
- For a more dense, rich brownie, add one egg yolk.
