An original recipe. Here ya go.
I made this up for a Ghirardelli Chocolate contest at the Great
Minnesota Get-Together. It didn't win squat. I did not expect it to.
I'm guessing that the Strib (www.startribune.com) will have it in next
Thursday's Taste Section, though. I think they usually feature the
winning recipes from the Fair's special contests.

Sh-h!-You'll-Wake-the-Neighbors Cherry-Coco Brownies
Recipe by Barb Schaller, August 2007

Yield: 9-18 servings, depending on size cut

Brownies
2/3 cup pecan pieces, toasted
3 oz Ghirardelli Unsweetened Baking Chocolate (6 squares)
1/2 cup butter
1-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Amaretto di Saronno liqueur
2 eggs
1/4 cup cherry preserves/jam
3/4 cup flaked coconut (reserve a tablespoon for garnish)
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Icing
2 tablespoons butter
1 ounce (2 squares) Ghirardelli Unsweetened Baking chocolate
2 tablespoons cherry preserves/jam
1 tablespoon Amaretto di Saronno liqueur
Approximately 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped pecans (tablespoon reserved earlier)

Prepare a metal 8" square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Move oven rack to center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place pecans on a paper plate and microwave on high for 30 seconds
(1000 watt oven). Stir and microwave another 30-45 seconds until nuts
are fragrant. Reserve one tablespoon for garnish; set remainder aside.

2. Melt chocolate and butter in microwave for 90 seconds. Stir with
spatula to complete melting.

3. Stir in sugar, vanilla and Amaretto liqueur.

4. With flat whisk, add eggs one at a time, whisking to combine; stir in
cherry preserves, pecans, and coconut.

5. Stir flour and baking powder together to combine; using flat whisk,
combine with chocolate mixture, mixing just until flour disappears.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in center of oven for 30
minutes. Center may be fudgy when done.

7. Remove pan to wire rack to cool for about 25 minutes.

8. Remove brownies from pan to finish cooling on rack. When cold,
remove parchment carefully and place brownies on a serving plate.

9. Make icing by melting butter and chocolate together; stir in cherry
preserves/jam and Amaretto. Stir in powdered sugar to desired thickness
(this amount will make icing that is a little bit soft). Pour and
spread icing over cooled brownies.

10. Finely chop remaining tablespoon of toasted pecans and sprinkle on
top of icing along with the reserved coconut, if desired.

Enjoy at will with vanilla ice cream or a cup of good coffee. And,
please, keep the moaning low - it annoys the neighbors.

I was making it up as I went along and almost didn't make a second one;
I considered entering the first one and then decided maybe I should
taste it first. :-)

I'm not nuts about it for a variety of reasons but I reclaimed it after
the contest winners were announced and brought it to church this
morning. Vultures, they. The high soprano nearly hit a high C. "-)
The instructions are quite detailed so that even Michael ought to be
able to make them. ''-)

Barb Schaller


--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com - Fair baking