Strawberry Extra-Chocolatey Brownies: California Strawberry Day

Today is California Strawberry Day. It's also the first day of Spring, so it's a great day to celebrate! California is the nation's leading producer of strawberries. The coast of California has a unique environment with its western ocean exposure with moderate temperatures year round -- warm sunny days and cool foggy nights - the perfect combination for growing delicious, beautiful strawberries!

Last year on California Strawberry Day, I posted a recipe for Strawberry Chocolate German Pancake. I've also posted recipes for Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Covered Stuffed Strawberries, and 'regular' Chocolate Covered Strawberries. There have been others, too.

Visit California Strawberries for more facts, recipes, and apps.

I find that in the market, I can always depend on Driscoll's for fresh delicious California Strawberries, so it's no surprise I consult their website for special strawberry recipes (and other berries). In this recipe for Strawberry Extra-Chocolatey Brownies (recipe adapted from Driscoll's website), chopped strawberries add a fresh touch of fruity tartness to rich fudgy brownies. This is a quick and easy recipe. Use the finest ingredients-- California Strawberries, the best chocolate-- and you'll have a winner!

Strawberry Extra-Chocolatey Brownies

Ingredients
1 pkg. Driscoll’s Strawberries
4 oz. Unsweetened chocolate (I use Guittard)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1- 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Madagascar Vanilla
2/3 cups All-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate chips or chopped Dark chocolate

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12 muffin cups, or coat with cooking spray.
2. Rinse and dry strawberries. Stem and chop 8 ounces berries (half the container, 1-1/2 cups chopped), reserving the smallest berries for garnishing.
3. Place chocolate and butter in a medium mixing bowl. Microwave on medium power 2-3 minutes until butter is melted; stir until chocolate is completely melted. (or melt in a double boiler)*
4. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla.
5. Mix in flour, chopped strawberries, stirring just until combined.
6. Scoop batter into muffin cups, filling one half full.
7. Bake 15-17 minutes until brownies are just set on top and no longer shiny. Remove from oven and sprinkle about 1-1/2 teaspoons chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) on tops. Return to oven 1-2 minutes until chocolate softens. Spread chocolate with the back of a teaspoon or knife.
8. Cool completely in pan. Run a knife around edges and lift to remove from pan. Before serving, halve remaining strawberries and place one on top of each brownie.

Pan Brownies Variation
1. Use a 8-inch square pan instead of muffin pan. Bake 25-30 minutes as directed above. At end of bake time sprinkle chocolate chips on top; return to oven for 1-2 minutes. Evenly spread chocolate. Cool. Cut into squares and garnish with strawberries.

Photo: Driscoll's

National Brownie Day: Brownies Recipe Round-Up

Today is National Brownie Day.  I went looking through the past few years of posts here on Dying for Chocolate, and I was surprised by how many recipes I found, so I decided to do a round-up of some of my favorites. Just links, but I know you'll enjoy all the recipes.  Feel free to add any of your own favorites!

Aunt Sylvia's Brownies

Chocolate Beer Brownies

Peppermint Bark Brownies

Killer Kahlua Brownies

Halloween Oreo Brownies

White Chocolate Brownies with Macadamia Nuts

Bonfire Brownies

Double Chocolate Fresh Cherry Brownies

Gravenstein Apple Chocolate Brownies

Bacon Brownies

Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate Brownies in a Jar


Enjoy your Brownies!!

More S'Mores: Brownie Smores from Scratch

Summer isn't over, so there's still time to make S'more Brownies. In July, I had an easy S'Mores Brownie recipe using a brownie mix. For those of you who like to do everything from scratch, here's a Killer Smores Brownie Recipe from the Food Network.

Killer S'more Brownies

Ingredients

Crust:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• Pinch fine salt

Brownies:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I use Madagascar vanilla)*
  
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 large cold eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

• 4 cups large marshmallows

Directions

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.

For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownies. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, (keep an eye on it, it can go quick), about 2 minutes. Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares.

photo: Food Network