Cup4Cup

Brownies with Buttercream and Poached Red Wine Cherries

Yield: One 8 x 8 pan

Degree of difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 20-25 minutes

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick (114 g) Unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces (227 g) Cream cheese, softened

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 g) Vanilla extract

1 cup (130 g) Powdered sugar

Red Wine Cherries:

2 cups cherries, pitted

¼ cup red wine

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons sugar

Optional: 1 teaspoon arrowroot

Preheat the oven to 350°F as instructed by the back of the bag and follow the recipe.
For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light, about 5 minutes. On low speed, beat in vanilla extract, then beat in powdered sugar until well combined. Beat mixture on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
After the brownies are baked, cooled, and removed from , frost them as desired.
For the poached cherries, add cherries, water, wine and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a strong simmer for 3 minutes.
Reduce heat and cook gently for an additional 3 minutes.
Strain off cherries from the liquid and reserve.
Return liquid to the saucepan, add lemon juice and reduce by half or until it begins to thicken.
Note: For a thicker (or faster) sauce, combine the arrowroot and lemon juice and add to the liquid. continue to cook gently until slightly thickened and glossy.
Add cooked cherries and lemon zest and remove from heat.
Add a spoonful of cherries over a plated brownie just prior to serving.