Red Wine Fudge Chunk Brownies + Mascarpone Cream Frosting

I have a sweet tooth. It usually creeps up on me late night, when I'm relaxing after work. On the days where a piece of chocolate won’t cut it for the craving, I bring out the big guns. In this case, the big guns meant Red Wine Fudge Chunk Brownies with Mascarpone Cream Frosting. You're welcome.

The trick to homemade fudgy brownies comes from using a chocolate ganache (melted chocolate + butter) mixture rather then just relying on cocoa powder for the chocolatey goodness. These brownies also have added texture with whole chocolate chips in the batter and sprinkled over top before baking. If you want to skip the wine, substitute with 1/3 c. heavy cream to the melted chocolate instead, and omit the 2 Tbs. butter in that step.

Red Wine Fudge Chunk Brownies with Mascarpone Cream Frosting

For Brownies:

·       10 oz. dark chocolate chips, plus ¼ c. more for pan

·       8 Tbs. (1 stick) butter melted, plus 2 Tbs. more for chocolate

·       ¼ c. red wine

·       3 large eggs

·       1 c. sugar

·       1 tsp. vanilla

·       1 c. all purpose flour

·       2 Tbs. cocoa powder

·       2 tsp. baking powder

·       ¼ tsp. cinnamon

·       pinch of salt 

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 7x10 inch baking dish, and line the dish with a piece of parchment paper with 1/2 inch overhang on all sides. 

2. Add 10 oz. chocolate chips along with 2 Tbs. butter and the red wine to small sauce pan over low heat. Stir the mixture frequently until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and cool the mixture to room temperature.

3. Combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl, and stir with a whisk until smooth. Stream in 1 stick of melted butter, followed by the melted chocolate mixture, whisking constantly until fully incorporated.

4. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and pinch of salt to the batter, and gently fold until just mixed. Add half of the ¼ c. chocolate chips to the batter.

5. Pour the batter into the prepped baking dish. Sprinkle remaining half of the chocolate chips over the top of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack, and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting. (mascarpone cream frosting below)

For Mascarpone Cream Cheese Icing:

·       8 oz. mascarpone

·       8 oz. cream cheese

·       2 c. confectioner’s sugar

·       2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. 

2. Spread the icing over the entire cooled pan of brownies, or cut brownies and individually frost them each.