Chocolate Raspberry Beer Brownies with Truffle Ganache

I've had several recipes for chocolate and beer brownies, but I came across this recipe in examiner.com yesterday, and I think it looks fabulous. I need to find raspberry beer. Don't think I'll have a lot of problem finding it since I live the Bay Area-lots of microbreweries and lots of stores that stock unique beers.

I found this recipe on Lisa Cason's Kansas City Baking Examiner
but the recipe is from Emily, the author of the Visions of Sugar Plum blog. She gave me permission to reprint it here. Her Blog is awesome, so be sure and check it out.

Belgian Raspberry Beer Brownies with Truffle Ganache (Recipe By Emiline)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup raspberry beer
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves
5 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder (Hershey's Special Dark)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ganache:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
5 ounces coarsely chopped dark chocolate truffles (Lindt)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 11x8-inch baking dish with foil; coat with cooking spray.

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in beer and raspberry preserves. When mixture is hot, and starts to bubble, turn heat off, and stir in bittersweet chocolate, until melted, and well combined; set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat together granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla, for 3 minutes.
Reduce mixer speed to low, and beat in melted chocolate mixture, until well combined.
Stir in flour mixture, until just combined.
Scrape batter into prepared dish,
Bake at 375 degrees F, for 20-25 minutes, or until set.
Plunge dish into a larger baking dish, filled with ice water, until brownies are cool.

To make the ganache, melt 1 tablespoon butter, in a small saucepan set over medium heat; stir in cream. When mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to low, and stir in chopped truffles, until melted, and smooth. Pour ganache over brownies, and smooth the surface, using a rubber spatula.
Freeze the brownies until ganache is set, about 15 minutes. Lift the foil-lined brownies out of dish, and slice into bars, using a sharp knife.

Yield: 14 brownies

Check out Emily's: Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake with Raspberry Preserves & Chocolate Ganache

Positively Sinful!

Photo: Lisa Cason