Raspberry Cream Brownies with Chocolate Ganache

Today is a great day!  The sun is shining, it's going to be a perfect 81 degrees and my husband and I are taking off from work and going to the Yankee game with our four daughters. I don't care that they have lost 12 games so far in the month of May or that everyone on the team's batting average is below 300.  They had a great game last night and hopefully they will be winning again today.  I will be wearing my Teixeira shirt and having a good time. 

These were adapted from http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/.  She used a coffee cream which I cannot do because I don't even like the way coffee smells and certainly would never eat it in anything.  So my favorite fruit flavor to go with chocolate is raspberry.  It was an easy substitution.  Anytime I have a recipe I can add Chambord raspberry liquor into I am happy.

Ingredients:

For the Brownies:
1/2 cup butter, melted
9 tablespoons hershey's unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the Raspberry Filling:
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon chambord raspberry liquor (optional)
2 tablespoons butter softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup raspberries and more for garnish

For Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Butter bottom and sides of 8x8 metal baking pan.  Put a long piece of parchment paper in bottom of pan letting parchment extend up the two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends.  Butter the parchment paper.

Melt butter in the microwave and pour into bowl.  Add unsweetened chocolate and vegetable oil.  Stir until smooth.  Add eggs, sugar and vanilla.  Mix until blended. Add flour and baking soda and stir until just combined.

Spread into prepared pan.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool.

For the filling, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix heavy cream, chambord, butter, confectioners sugar and raspberries.  Mix until light and fluffy.  Spread over cooled brownies.

Combine heavy cream and chocolate in microwave safe bowl and microwave for a minute at 50% power.  Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is glossy and smooth.  Cool before spreading over filling.  Let set before cutting into pieces.  Garnish with raspberries. 

This is linked to www.momscrazycooking.blogspot.com

Enjoy!   Susan