Hello everyone, welcome to a Dash of Donnie. February 14th is slowly approaching, which means that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Valentine’s Day is known as the holiday of love, and what better way to fill your empty, sad heart than with delicious chocolate? Now, of course, you can pop open a bag of chocolate and munch on some of that bitter-sweet candy, but why not treat yourself with a delicious heart-shaped brownie that you can also show off, unlike your nonexistent partner. This fudgy chocolate goodness with its cute little heart design is the perfect brownie for this month. With that said, let's get baking.
Chocolatey Heart Brownies
Recipe:
Brownies:
10 tablespoons (145 grams) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process
1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt, use slightly less if using fine sea or table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large cold eggs
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
Decorations:
10-ounce package of Wilton light pink chocolate candy melts
10-ounce package of Wilton bright pink candy melts
Red, white and pink lollipop sticks
3" heart-shaped cookie cutter
2 small sandwich baggies
Kitchen scissors
Directions:
Batter:
Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. (This helps when removing the baked brownies from the pan, once cooled). Add enough water to a medium saucepan so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat water until barely simmering. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Rest the bowl over simmering water (if the bottom of the bowl touches the water, remove a little water). Stir the mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and the mixture is quite warm. Don’t worry if it looks gritty; it will become smooth once you add the eggs and flour. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes until it is only warm, not hot. Stir in the vanilla with a spoon. Then add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until fully incorporated, then beat with the wooden spoon or spatula for 40 to 50 strokes. (The batter will be thick). Beat vigorously here. You want to see the brownie batter pulling away from the sides of the bowl (if you do not have the strength to do this by hand, use a hand mixer). Stir in nuts, if using. Spread evenly in lined pan.
Baking
Bake the brownies for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out with a few moist crumbs. As a visual test, brownies are done when the edges will look dry and the middle still looks slightly underbaked. Some readers have found they need to bake an extra 5 to 10 minutes. Brownies are easy to overbake so keep an eye on the doneness of the brownies and use the visual and toothpick test as your guide. Cool completely then remove from pan.
Decorating
For the cleanest lines when cutting, place into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up. Use the heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the heart-shaped brownies. Gently insert a lollipop stick into the base of each brownie and place it on the baking sheet. Pour 5 oz of each Wilton candy-colors melts into separate microwave-safe bowls. Place each bowl in the microwave one at a time – heating for 30-second increments, stirring occasionally until melted. Let cool a few minutes. Scoop the melted chocolate into 1 sandwich baggy. Snip the corners of the baggies and gently squeeze the melted chocolate from each baggy onto the brownies in a zig-zag pattern.