I’ve never cared for chocolate-covered cherries. The creamy, squishy filling just ruins them for me.
But chocolate and cherries are a wonderful pairing, and that’s where these brownies come in.
Chunky cherry jam is swirled into dark, rich, fudgy brownies, and they’re topped with dark chocolate chunks.
Tons of bold chocolate flavor, along with sweet cherry jam, with no white goop in sight. Score.
For the brownie base, I used an old standby recipe that delivers consistently fudgy results, minus any fuss. They’re as fast and easy as using a boxed mix, and the batter is whisked together in one bowl in minutes.
They’re not at all cakey, which would be a total deal-breaker. I want my brownies dense like a slab of fudge. Cakes are for birthdays, but don’t belong in my brownies.
The irony of these ultra-fudgy brownies is that the recipe uses cocoa powder, not melted chocolate. I used to think that cocoa powder brownies were inferior to brownies made with (more expensive) melted chocolate, but I’ve been proven wrong.
The jam also adds to the overall density and fudginess since it weighs down the batter and adds moisture.
Make sure not to overbake them so they stay moist and fudgy. The jam doesn’t fully set up, and the chocolate chunks will be melty and runny, so make sure to examine the brownie portion, not the jam or chocolate chunks, when doing the toothpick test.
In the past, I’ve made the mistake of thinking my brownies weren’t done when I saw runny chocolate on the toothpick, thereby overcooking them.
Letting them cool properly gives the jam and chocolate chunks a chance to firm up and solidify, and the longer you can wait before digging in, the better.
I cooled them for a couple hours on the counter before refrigerating them. I prefer desserts this chocolaty to be served chilled.
The brownies are moist, soft, and very chocolaty, without being overly sweet.
The dark chocolate chunks add bold chocolate intensity, and there’s a splash of coffee and some espresso granules added to the batter (optional but recommended). They don’t make the brownies taste like coffee, but instead intensify and round out the chocolate flavor.
You could wash them down with a glass of milk, a cup of coffee, or with merlot or cabernet.
I prefer the later.
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Chocolate Cherry Chocolate Chunk Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 1/4 sticks, melted
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee, leftover from the morning brew is fine, optional but recommend to enhance chocolate flavor and does not make brownies taste like coffee
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process, I used Droste Cocoa
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules, optional but recommend to enhance chocolate flavor and does not make brownies taste like coffee
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- about 1/2 heaping cup thick cherry jam or preserves, well-stirred in jar
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks (semi-sweet chocolate chips may be substituted but won’t melt as well)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang on the sides, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute. Allow butter to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the eggs.
- Add the eggs, sugars, optional coffee, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the cocoa powder, optional espresso granules, optional salt, and whisk to combine. If your cocoa powder is lumpy, it could take a couple minutes of vigorous whisking.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula or knife. Batter is very thick and fudgy so take your time to work it into the corners of the pan.
- Add the cherry jam over the brownie batter in 1 tablespoon-sized blobs. Stirring it first in the jar to break it up will make dolloping it out easier.
- Using a knife, gently swirl the jam through the batter in a zig-zag pattern. Don’t get carried away and over-swirl because it will sink to the bottom of the pan while baking.
- Evenly sprinkle chocolate chunks over the pan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until done; don’t overbake (I baked for 21 minutes in my very hot-running Caribbean oven). Because ovens, ingredients (how much moisture is in the jam used), and climates vary, use your judgment when your brownies are done; watch your brownies, not the number on the clock. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean, but will likely have a few moist crumbs, but no batter. The jam doesn’t fully set up, and the chocolate chunks will be melty, so make sure to examine the brownie portion, not the jam or chocolate chunks portion, when glancing at your toothpick.
- Allow brownies to rest for at least 1 hour, or overnight, before lifting out with foil overhang and slicing. Letting them cool properly gives the jam and chocolate chunks a chance to firm up and solidify. Brownies will keep airtight at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I prefer to store rich brownies like these in the fridge and serve them slightly chilled.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Favorite brownie recipe?
These look sooooo fudgy!!! I agree with you about the chocolate covered cherries. Leave it to Averie to solve all my sweet tooth problems :)
Glad you can relate, Todd :)
I love a good brownie recipe! Pinning these tonight! Mmm!
thanks for pinning :)
Chocolate and cherry is one of my favorite combinations. This looks fantastic. Pinning.
thanks for pinning, Norma!
I have a sick obsession with chocolate covered cherries. I buy those cheap $1 boxes and eat them like crazy. It’s not classy. But I love them, goo and all.
But I have a feeling I could go for a few dozenish of these brownies too!!
Ok, so I am not going to lie. I was never a huge cherry fan….until this summer when I was in Oregon and I had fresh Oregon cherries. I fell in love with them. Honestly I think I went through a whole bag every 2 days, which was not good for my wallet! Anyway, I have yet to try the chocolate + cherry combo, but I would say these brownies are good way to start. They look incredible! Pinned of course! :)
I can go to TOWN on fresh cherries. Once when I was about your age, in college and totally broke, I bought a huge bag of them that were ‘on sale’ and when I got them to the register, the girl told me that it was like $11 worth of cherries. I reluctantly bought them but now realize how pricey they can be (and how fast I can eat them)!
I’ve got a major thing for chocolate + cherries! My grandma used to buy me cherry cordials every year for Christmas. I’ve got to make these to relive the memory. Thanks :)
Holy Chocolate Cherry! Those look amazing!
Back when I could eat chocolate, I loved chocolate covered cherries. My grandpa and I would eat them every time he came to visit. Those are good memories! Looks like I need to break out the carob powder and make these.
Yes break out the carob :)
I always add brewed coffee or espresso granules to chocolate recipes. It is such a powerful secret ingredient that makes the chocolate flavor so bold!
They add such great flavor, don’t they! It’s like not using them, is just…meh, lackluster results!
I am usually not one for cherries but these brownies look so intensely chocolatey and rich and like I would like to curl up on the sofa with a tray of these :)
Im not usually one for fruit in my chocolate (as in, ever!) but these totally worked!
Ok, I must admit. I am a huge sucker for those chocolate covered cherry cordials. The ones with the gooey/liquid centers. So if we ever share a box of chocolates, I’ll take them off your hands. But it’s truly the chocolate and cherry combination that I love! Especially rich, fudgy chocolate and chunky cherries. In fact, one of my favorite ben & jerry’s ice cream flaors is Cherry Garcia. (Cherry ice cream w/ chocolate!) You’d love it.
…and yes to the merlot.
Chocolate and cherries, yes please! Send me through the Black Forest! I won’t mind :)
LOVE how moist these look. Gah, yes!
These look seriously decadent and very, VERY TEMPTING!!! You right Avery, it would be heavenly to wash down with a nice smooth Merlot :)
Cheers,
J+C
Glad you can relate to the merlot comment :)
These look like the perfect brownie texture! I confess that I am not and have never been a fan of cherry-chocolate combos (or any fruit with chocolate, actually), but cherry jam is something different. It’s much better!
Normally I am really NOT into fruit with my chocolate. Like fruit-filled truffles, or fruit-flavored chocolates, no, not at all. And anything with a gloppy fruit filling, I will literally spit it out. Something about it…Blech! But yes, chocolate and cherries are an exception. I think b/c it reminds me of wine :)
Fudge city. And the addition of cherries in these brownies?? Incredible. Can’t wait to try these—I have the hugest chocolate craving now..:D
Hehe…I never liked chocolate covered cherries either! But I don’t think I could turn down a fudgy brownie with cherries. Yummaay. :)