Red Wine Brownies: For The Nights When Deciding Between Drinks & Dessert

This dish is the brainchild of food writer and photographer Sara Fennel. In her own words

“I constantly struggle with the decision of drinks or dessert.”

She created this amazing invention by working in extra chocolate as a fat substitute for butter, high-end cocoa powder, and brown sugar into a recipe that takes just 40 minutes to bake. As she wrote previously

“I wanted to create a recipe that had the richness of a fudgy brownie, while adding a distinguishable note of vino.”

The wine is going to be the biggest decision when it comes to making this delicious treat. You will want to choose something that is full to medium bodied like a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. When cooking with wine for any dish the trick is: never cook with a wine that you would not drink straight! This will ensure that you are getting the fullest of flavors.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1½ cups light or medium brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup red wine

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8″x8″ baking dish with parchment paper or oil.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add in chopped chocolate, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted completely.
In a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, add in brown sugar. Slowly pour melted chocolate mixture into brown sugar with the mixer running on medium speed. Add in eggs, one at a time, with the mixer still on. Beat for 30 seconds, until the color of the batter lightens just a bit.
Turn the mixer to low and add in cocoa powder, flour, salt, vanilla extract, and wine, beating for an additional 30 seconds.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for roughly 40 mins, or until a knife inserted in the center of the brownies comes out mostly clean.

Thanks to Sara Fennel over at Broma Bakery for the recipe!