Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies

Decadently sweet, nutty and super fudgy,  these Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies will have you in dessert bliss.  Perfectly paired with a glass of ice cold milk, these are sure to be your new go to brownie recipe.

Happy Monday, Friends!  How was your weekend? Our weekend was spent with friends celebrating my husband’s 10 year reunion from college. A fun time was had by all and it was great to catch up. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since he graduated, as we met that same year.  A lot has changed in 10 years, between all of us, including weddings, babies (multiples in some cases),  moving around but one thing that hasn’t changed was our ability to pick up right where we left off like time hadn’t passed.

While the guys golfed on Saturday, us girls headed to the winery to enjoy the local wine and have a picnic style lunch.  You can see a picture on my instagram account of us posing in the vineyards. So pretty!  It was the perfect afternoon, minus the 100% humidity, but a girls afternoon was just what I needed.  I made a few finger foods a la pinterest, munched on pita and hummus and enjoyed a meat and cheese tray from my girlfriend, Megan.

The night was spent on a small bar crawl enjoying all our favorite bars we frequented when we were in college.  As a townie now (never thought I’d say that) and 10 years older, it’s not often my husband and I head downtown to enjoy the local bar scene with the youngins who are newly 21 and out to party like it’s 1999.  But it’s summertime and the town is much more quiet so again, it was the perfect time.  I’ve also realized, I myself am not 21 and cannot party like I did in 2005 and stay out until 2 a.m.  Insert lame-o.  Nothing a 2 hour nap on Sunday and a big plate of these brownies couldn’t cure though.

I have a weakness for brownies.  I would definitely say they are one of my favorite dessert, right up there with Crème Brûlée.  When I was kid, I would always beg my mom to buy the Little Debbie Fudge Brownies.  You know the ones with the nuts on top?  Those were my favorite.  Now, I like the Cosmic Brownies with the little candy coated pieces, but I’m a sucker for nuts in my brownies.  Anyone with me on this?

These brownies Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies were born when I had a bag of cherries and wanted something different from just chopping them and throwing them into the batter.  I’ve roasted fruit before so I figured I could roast cherries as well, I mean, why not?  They came out perfectly. Roasting the cherries intensified the flavor and making them slightly chewy.  The slightly chewy texture was the perfect consistency to add to the brownie batter.

Knowing that I wanted to add nuts to this brownie, I got to thinking which nut pairs best with cherries.  I threw open my freezer to check and see what nuts I had on hand.  (Tip, if you have any nuts leftover, throw them in the freezer as nuts are high in oil, and the oil can spoil when stored at room temperature and exposure to light.  Ain’t no one got time for rancid nuts at the price we’ve paid for them.)  I had walnuts, pecans and  hand. My go to nut for brownies is usually walnuts bit I knew cherries and hazelnuts pair very well together. And so, Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies were made.

Rewind a few months back. My dad made brownies (WOAH!)  Coming from a man who has never been a sweet eater, I knew he could have only made them for me, my sister and husband who are chocoholics!  They were by far the BEST brownies I had ever had in my entire life.  That’s a bold statement but I stand by it 110%.  He gave me a large Ziploc bag of them to take home and while I was driving, I decided to have just one bite.  Well you know how that goes.  2 brownies later, I was in chocolate coma and still and hour left on my drive. I didn’t regret one bite though.  However, I did regret not stopping to get some milk somewhere as they are so rich and decadent, the only cure a large glass of milk.

So, while I am not posting that recipe today, I will sometime, I took the same batter and added cherries, chocolate chunks and roasted cherries.  They came out exactly the same, but with different mix ins.  Therefore, you could take this basic brownie recipe and add anything you’d like to the batter. You could add caramel, butterscotch, pecans, sprinkles, peanut butter…anything your little brownie loving heart desires.  But while cherries are in season this summer, I highly urge you to make these brownies.  You won’t regret it.

1 vote

Print

Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies

Prep 35 mins

Cook 1 hour, 15 mins

Total 1 hour, 50 mins

Author Strawberry Blondie Kitchen

Yield 9

Decadently sweet, nutty and super fudgy, these Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies will have you in dessert bliss. Perfectly paired with a glass of ice cold milk, these are sure to be your new go to brownie recipe.

Ingredients

• Roasted Cherries
• 1 pound of cherries, not pitted
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate, 2 ounces total
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks or chips, plus more for topping
• 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, plus more for topping

Instructions

1. Roasted Cherries
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Place cherries and sugar into baking dish and stir to coat cherries evenly.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes and watching closely so they don't burn. (Mine took 35 minutes)
5. Set aside and let cool
6. Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray.
8. Place butter and unsweetened chocolate into a bowl and microwave 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds and be careful not to burn until melted.
9. Stir in sugar and eggs, one at a time, until combined
10. Add in flour and mix to combine.
11. Pour 3/4 cup (half the batter) into prepared pan.
12. Bake 18-20 minutes until toothpick insert comes out clean.
13. Meanwhile, with the remaining batter, add in roasted cherries, chocolate chunks and hazelnuts and stir until combined.
14. Spread the remaining brownie batter over the partial cooking brownies that just came out of the oven.
15. Sprinkle more chocolate chunks and hazelnuts over the top, if desired
16. Bake 22-25 minutes until set and toothpick insert comes out clean.
17. Allow to cool in pan and cut into 9 squares.

Notes

Do not pit cherries before roasting. You will let out too many of the juices and you need the delicious juice for roasting.

Courses Brownie

Cuisine Dessert

Make sure you have a cold glass of milk ready when these Roasted Cherry Hazelnut Chunk Brownies are cooled.  You will not be able to resist eating them straight out of the hot oven.  They’re sweet, slightly chewy, chocolatey and simply heavenly!

How do you like your brownies?

 Enjoy and if you make this recipe, please share a photo on social media and hashtag it #strawberryblondiekitchen  I love to see your versions!