As the warm weather months approach, the number of berries you can find in your local grocery store or, if you are lucky enough, farmer’s market come out in spades. Strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries. There are no limits to what you can do with the overabundance of delicious fruits. Simple is always a good, safe direction to go. Tossing the fruit with a bit of sugar or spooning it over ice cream has never gone wrong.
Being adventurous, however, when it comes to cooking and baking will always earn you points. Try something new and different for real wow factor. Here, blackberries are mixed with just a touch of sugar. They are then roasted, bursting with flavor. After roasting, the berries are mixed into a classic brownie batter for an explosive combination of flavors. Baked to perfection, these brownies will dazzle any crowd.
Adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures
- 12 ounces fresh blackberries
- 1¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 7 ounces chocolate chips
- ½ cup butter
- 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the blackberries with the two tablespoons of sugar. Roast for approximately 10 minutes, until the blackberries burst a bit and release the juice. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch baking pan with foil and spray foil with non-stick spray.
- Add the chocolate and butter to a heat-proof bowl. Microwave in thirty-second increments until completely melted and smooth. Add in cocoa powder and stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture, stirring to combine. Stir in flour until completely combined. Gently fold in the blackberries.
- Pour the mixture into your baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.