The Best Brownies with Chocolate and Raspberries
Do you love brownies? I have the best brownies with chocolate and raspberries for Christmas. Not only are they delicious, the presentation is so pretty for your holiday entertaining.
It’s chocolate time today, specifically brownies. And not just any brownie, but the best brownies with chocolate and raspberries. And not just cut up into regular squares, but as a famous T.V. chef once said, “we’re kicking it up a notch”.
These brownies are the best brownies – made with three kinds of chocolate and served in such a way that guests will think that Santa brought them from the North Pole.
What makes this the best brownie recipe? Three different kinds of chocolate, my friend. And what kicks it up a notch? The presentation. It’s all about the presentation
This recipe for the best brownies gets an extra-special touch which makes them so tempting on your holiday table.
At holiday time, you want the best desserts to serve guests for parties. These may be the best brownies ever. The extra chocolate and the raspberries make them an extra special treat.
Chocolate and Raspberries for the Best Brownies
Here are the steps to take to prepare these delicious brownies.
Prepare Your Pan and Your Ingredients
I like to use an 13 X 9-inch baking pan. Always, always line your pan with foil. This way you can pick up the entire pan of brownies. It’s easy to get the brownies out of the pan without messing up the corner pieces.
Spray the pan before you line it with foil and again to easily remove the brownies.
Gather and measure all your ingredients – this step is called mise en place. It makes the baking process so efficient. The French invented the practice of mise en place and it is still used in restaurants today.
Making the Brownie Batter
No mixer is needed in this recipe.
Place the unsweetened chocolate morsels (chocolate #1) and the butter in a stainless bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer.
NOTE: The bottom of the bowl should not touch the simmering water.
Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder (chocolate #2), sugar and vanilla extract.
TIP: Nielsen-Massey is the best vanilla extract and well worth the price.
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking thoroughly between additions.
Finally, add the flour, salt and mini-semi-sweet chocolate morsels (chocolate #3) and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
Pour into the prepared pan. Bake in the 350˚F. preheated oven for 30 minutes.
After the brownies have cooled a bit, lift them out of the baking pan, using the excess foil as a handle. Allow them to cool while you make the ganache.
Making the Ganache
Using the same saucepan that you used to make the brownies, fill it again with about 2 inches of water.
Set a bowl with the remaining chocolate and the cream over the simmering water. Stir until completely blended. This will be your ganache.
Use a funnel to pour the ganache into a plastic squeeze bottle (the 12-ounce size is my favorite). The ganache will keep in the fridge for several weeks.
Preparing the Brownie Rounds
Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to make your best brownies into rounds.
As you place the cookie cutter on the brownie, push straight down and then push the brownie out of the cutter.
You can get 24 2-inch rounds, placing each new cutter right next to the previous one. I set my brownie rounds either on a cutting board or on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
NOTE: Don’t throw out the brownie pieces left after you’ve cut out the rounds. They can be eaten out-of-hand, crumbled over ice cream, or rolled into balls for a truffle-like dessert. See this Fudgy Brownie Recipe Made into 3 different desserts.
Garnishing the Brownie Rounds
The ganache should be easily squeezable, but not runny. Test the consistency on a piece of parchment paper.
TIP: Either put the plastic squeeze bottle in the fridge for several minutes if it’s too runny or in the microwave if it’s too stiff. (30 seconds at 50% power)
You can see that the one on the far right was a little too runny so I put the ganache in the fridge for several minutes.
That’s much better.
Put the raspberries in a bowl with an egg white and gently toss. Place them on a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle them with granulated sugar.
Place a raspberry on each brownie.
There, you’ve made the best brownies and dressed them up for the holidays. Anyone can make a square brownie, but a round brownie is a special treat.
Enjoy the best brownies you ever tasted or made, rich, chocolatey and chewy. Serve on a pretty Christmas platter.
Fudgy, Chewy, Cakey Best Brownies
Equipment
- small and medium mixing bowls
- cooking spray
Ingredients
Brownies
- 2/3 cup all~purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- vegetable cooking spray
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate morsels
- 2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate morsels
- 2 ounces cocoa
- 10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup raspberries washed and dried
- 1 egg white whisk with 1 teaspoon water
Ganache
- 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
- 1 cup 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Brownies
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl; set aside.
- Cover the sheet pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray.
- Place the chocolate pieces and the butter in a stainless bowl. Place over a saucepan with 1 – 2 inches of water. Bring to a simmer. Stir the chocolates as they melt. Do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking thoroughly between additions, until thoroughly combined.
- Add the dry ingredients; whisk until just incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to do the final stirring.
- Add the mini-semi-sweet chocolate morsels and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter to cover the entire sheet pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with barely wet crumbs, 30 – 35 minutes.
- Cool the brownies on a cooking rack for 5 minutes. use the foil to lift out the brownies. Cool completely on the rack for at least 2 – 3 hours.
Ganache
- Using the same saucepan you used to make the brownies, fill it again with about 2 inches of water.
- Set a bowl with the chocolate and the cream over the simmering water. Blend with a whisk until completely blended.
- Remove the ganache from the saucepan and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Use a funnel to pour the ganache into a squeeze bottle.
Assembling the Brownies
- Gently toss the raspberries with the egg wash. Place the raspberries on a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle them with granulated sugar. Let sit while you prepare the brownie rounds.
- Use a 2~inch cookie cutter to make your best brownies into rounds.
- As you place the cookie cutter on the brownie, push straight down and then push the brownie out of the cutter.
- You should get 24 2-inch rounds, placing each new cutter right next to the previous one. Set the brownie rounds on a sheet pan. brownie pieces left after you've cut out the rounds.
- Reserve the brownie pieces left after you've cut out the rounds for other uses.
- Squeeze the ganache onto each brownie round in a zig-zag motion.
- Place a raspberry on top of each brownie round and serve.
Notes
Other Options for Garnishing the Best Brownies
- pipe sweetened whipped cream on top
- sprinkle chopped toasted nuts on top, such as pistachios, hazelnuts or almonds
- sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar
- use red or green sprinkles on top
- for kids, press a few M & M’s on the top of the brownies when they are still a bit warm
- spread the ganache across the top or dip the brownies in the ganache to coat and garnish with raspberries or cherries.
Here’s a whole tray of the best brownie recipe cut into rounds, covered in ganache and garnished with a raspberry.
Hope you enjoy the best brownies you’ll ever have. You might like to pair these best brownie rounds paired with the cutest Cherry Cheesecake Tartlets.
Carol,
I love brownies and raspberries, so this recipe is a real treat for me. I pinned it so I can always find it fast.
Merry Christmas,
Judith
Judith, hope you love them.
Those look amazing! Where did you get your round cutters? I would love to get a set like that! Thanks!
Suzanne, thanks so much. There is a link in the post (cookie cutters) that will take you to the exact ones I have. Enjoy!
Carol, these sound and look like a work of art but easy too! Thank you so much for sharing such wonderful instructions and for teaching us how to kick it up a notch with the presentation. 😉
Super easy and so pretty!