Who else loves those heart shaped boxes of chocolates we see at Valentine’s Day? That adventurous first bite of chocolate, when you don’t know which flavor you’re getting, is so much fun! I adore the fruit ganache filled chocolate bon bons. If you love bon bons too, you’ll love these brownies. They’re rich, fudgy and topped with a silky raspberry ganache that makes you feel like you’re biting into a raspberry truffle. The ganache adds an elegant touch to these brownies, so dried rose buds, rose petals and crispy chocolate pearls were my toppings of choice.
This isn’t the first time I’ve created elegant brownies. I displayed beautifully decorated brownies at two previous cookie conventions and they were well received. Elevated brownies are unexpected, but they’re definitely appreciated!
Raspberry Truffle Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 8 ounces (227g) bittersweet chocolate (70-72%), chopped
- 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (118ml) strained raspberry purée
- ¼ cup (59ml) heavy cream
- 4 ounces (113g) white chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
- In a medium-sized heat safe bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.
- In a large heat safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave or set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk the sugar, eggs, egg yolk and vanilla into butter until smooth and the sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the melted chocolate until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs on it, about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool completely.
- Place the white chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the raspberry purée until reduced by half. Combine the heavy cream with the reduced purée in the saucepan. Heat until bubbles start to form around the edges. Do not boil.
- Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate, making sure its completely submerged, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and well combined. Spread over the cooled brownies.