Mascarpone gives these brownies a full-bodied, creamy texture that can’t be beat, and the chocolaty ganache is just the icing on the cake.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup fresh, unsalted butter
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter (for ganache)
- 6 Tbsp. whipping cream (for ganache)
- 6 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (for ganache)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir chocolate into melted butter and whisk together until combined.
- Add sugar, heating again gently if necessary, to get the sugar to dissolve well. Mixture will look grainy.
- Pour butter mixture into a medium-size bowl; add mascarpone, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until smooth.
- Slowly sift in flour, salt, and cocoa, stirring well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spoon, making sure the batter is blended well.
- Pour batter into parchment-lined pan. Bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While brownies are cooling, make the ganache. Heat butter and cream together over low heat, stirring constantly to avoid boiling. Add chocolate and continue stirring until all the lumps disappear.
- Immediately pour the ganache over the brownies, while they are still slightly warm. Cool completely before serving.
