Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

These are hands down, the most delicious brownies I have ever made. They are so completely orgasmic and satisfying. Since they are such a dark chocolate, they are more of a "grown up" dessert but there might be some kids who would enjoy their darkness. There is not much flour in these so they are super duper fudgy. The ganache really adds to the richness. The brownies were such a dark chocolate that I could not bring myself to use all dark chocolate for the ganache - so I used half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate. The ganache still tasted plenty dark! The ingredient in these brownies that makes them so different is mascarpone cheese. (According to Wikipeidia: Mascarpone is a triple-cream cheese made from creme fraiche denatured with tartaric acid. Sometimes buttermilk is added as well, depending on the brand.) The coffee flavored dessert, Tirimisu, is made with mascarpone. A whole 8 oz tub of mascarpone went into this recipe. The mascarpone cheese plus all of the butter & heavy whipping cream really makes these brownies RICH! Incredibly rich and luscious. I highly recommend these if you are into fudgy brownies. After they are removed from the oven, they will seem underdone and they certainly take awhile to set up. I let mine sit overnight before cutting them into squares. I don't know why, but I totally spaced out about taking a photo of the cut brownies. I wanted to show you the fudgy center and the thickness of the ganache. Oh well, try the recipe yourself and you can experience bliss too!! Oh, I must mention that I came across this recipe on one my favorite blogs - bakeorbreak.com Check out her blog- she has a ton of wonderful dessert recipes.

Look at how shiny the ganache is after I poured it! Delicious!

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies


1 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened

3 large eggs at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 325 degrees


Butter an 8 inch baking pan (I line mine with foil then spray with Pam).


Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at half power in 30 second intervals, stirring between each heating. Continue until both are completely melted.


Sift sugar and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/chocolate mixture. Beat in, by hand, the mascarpone cheese, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Fold in flour and salt.


Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.


Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.


Cool in pan on cooling rack.



Ganache



6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter


Place chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.


In a small saucepan, heat the butter and cream over medium heat, stirring constantly. (I did this part in the microwave, at 50% power, but you must watch it carefully to make sure it does not boil). When mixture is almost boiling, pour it over the chocolate. Let it stand for 30 seconds. Then, stir until smooth. Pour ganache over cooled brownies and spread evenly. Allow ganache to firm before cutting brownies. Brownies may be placed in refrigerator to expedite this.