When my friend, Ann, discovered I was making raspberry brownies, she quickly sent me a recipe for one of her favorite raspberry-spiked brownies. They have a layer of creamy raspberry-flavored butter frosting sandwiched between moist chocolate brownies and a rich, fudge-like topping.
These brownies have an interesting history.
According to Ann, this recipe originally came from R. Marie Jones, a sister to John Carlson, both originally from Fargo. John is no longer living, but the ice coliseum in north Fargo is named after him. Marie, who was very instrumental in Trollwood and the presence of Altrusa’s concession stand there, passed away in July of 2006.
Apparently, many years ago the sweet and lovely Marie brought the Chambord brownies as a treat to a needlepoint class Ann was teaching. Since that sinfully delicious introduction, Chambord brownies have become a favorite of Ann and her husband, Pat.
Ann describes these brownies as “a melt-in-your-mouth indulgence.” She’s absolutely right!
The brownies are moist and not too sweet. The creamy pink middle layer offers just a hint of raspberry, produced by a small amount of Chambord, a raspberry liqueur that is a little spendy. I find it very nice to sip on, though:) The chocolate topping is thick, rich and chocolaty.
Who could ask for anything more? Chambord brownies are shamefully rich and decadent. They are chocolate. They are to die for.
Thanks Ann. And, thank you, sweet Marie.
Chambord Brownies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch pan and set aside.
Layer one:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup or 1 1/2 cups
1 cup flour
Cream butter and sugar until light. Add salt, eggs and chocolate syrup. Blend together well. Add flour and mix just until incorporated into the chocolate mixture. pour into greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to cool in pan.
Layer two:
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 tablespoons Chambord liqueur (product of France)
Dash of red food coloring
Beat ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread over cooled brownies.
Layer three:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
In a small, heavy saucepan, melt chips and butter. Cool slightly. Spoon over Chambord topping and spread evenly to cover.
When chocolate topping is firm, cut brownies into 1″ squares.
Tips from the cook
I put the chocolate-topped brownies in the refrigerator just until the chocolate was firm. After that, I stored the brownies tightly covered at room temperature.
I have a habit of lining the brownie-baking pan with foil, allowing the edges to come up over the sides of the pan. I butter the foil before pouring in the batter. This way, I can easily lift the cooled and frosted brownies from the pan before cutting. Producing pretty squares of dessert is so easy using this technique. No funny-looking first serving from the pan.
Sue Doeden is a popular cooking instructor, food writer and integrative nutrition health coach. She is the host of Good Food, Good Life 365 on Lakeland Public Television. Her own hives full of hardworking bees and her love of honey led to the creation of her recently published cookbook, Homemade with Honey.