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June McClure of Sidney, Iowa, won a Shenandoah radio station's cookie contest with this chocolate-rich confection in 1988. Although the contest ended in the 1990s, McClure still adds them to her cookie trays during the holidays. “Chocolate is always a hit at our house,” she says.
Raspberry Truffle Brownies
FOR THE BROWNIES
1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup margarine (or salted butter)
¾ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Over low heat, or in a microwave, melt the chocolate chips with margarine or butter. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs. Add the chocolate mixture and the coffee (dissolved in the water). Mix well. Stir in the baking powder and flour.
Spread in a greased 9-inch-by-9-inch pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. While they cool on a wire rack, make the topping.
FOR THE TOPPING
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
¼ cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup seedless red raspberry preserves
Beat the cream cheese until it's fluffy. Melt the chocolate as you did for the brownies, and add it to the cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar, preserves and instant coffee and stir to combine. Spread this atop the cooled brownies. Make the glaze.
FOR THE GLAZE
¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening
Melt the chocolate chips with the shortening and mix thoroughly. Drizzle over the brownies.
Chill before cutting. Store brownies in the refrigerator.
Makes: 16 (2-inch square) brownies
Test kitchen notes: I used butter instead of margarine, and it worked just fine. The glaze was pretty thick, so I dolloped instead of drizzled. The finished brownies were dense and chocolatey, with a hint of raspberry. I couldn't really taste the coffee, though, so a baker could get away without it. Cut them small; they're quite rich.
— Adapted from a recipe submitted by June McClure and tested in a home kitchen by World-Herald staff writer Julie Anderson.
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