red wine brownie hearts + a GALentine’s day video

Red Wine Brownie Hearts
Makes 2-3 dozen hearts

Adapted from this recipe; spruced up for Galentine’s Day

For the brownies:
8 ounces (250 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup (2 sticks or 225 grams) butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine
4 eggs
1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (125 grams) flour
1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt

For the glaze:
2 cups (200 grams) powdered sugar
1/3 cup (35 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Make the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9×13 pan and line with two sheets of parchment paper, then butter the parchment. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate and the butter together in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugars and vanilla. Whisk in the chocolate mixture and then the wine. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and stir until the batter is smooth and has thickened slightly.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs attached. You may need to bake the brownies for a few minutes more, but set your timer for 20 minutes and then hang out in your kitchen for the last few minutes of baking time just to make sure they don’t over bake. An underbaked brownie is better than an overbaked one. Remove from the pan and let cool completely. Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to stamp out heart-shaped brownies. Save the scraps!

Make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa and salt. Add wine, cream and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Dip the tops of each brownie in the glaze and decorate with heart shaped sprinkles.

Make brownie balls: Use your fingers to break up the remaining scraps into fine crumbs. Throughly mix in a tablespoon or so of glaze to help the crumbs stick together. Roll into small balls, and then roll into colored sanding sugar. Garnish with one tiny heart sprinkle, if so desired.