Dark Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies with Blueberry Ganache

I feel like such a blog slacker lately!  Between all of the traveling we have been doing and writing my dissertation, things have been so busy this month! Luckily I have been able to make a few things in the meantime.

Sometimes I like going through the archives of my favorite cooking blogs to discover recipes that may have been posted before I became a reader. Several months ago, I was doing this for Jenny's blog, Picky Palate. I came across this recipe for Dark Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies with Blueberry Ganache - don't they just sound decadent?!? I saved the recipe to my desktop and waited for an excuse to make them. Each time I opened my laptop, there the recipe sat taunting me. I finally made the decision that I would make these for a lunch our lab was having to say goodbye to our summer undergraduate student before she returned to college. 

These brownies were delicious! Although I prefer a more chewy brownie, these are more cake-like, so I just pretended it was a very moist cake. My favorite part is the ganache - seriously brilliant idea of Jenny's to add the blueberry sauce/syrup - it gives the best flavor. I think many other versions of this would be great too - add a little raspberry or strawberry syrup, or even some Framboise! In summary, the brownies were good, but the ganache was amazing!!!

One question to toss out there - why do people pronounce it "maRSCapone" when it's spelled "maSCARpone"???  I think in Italian the proper way to say it "mas-car-pon-AY," but what do we say in America without sounding like don't know the word? This always bugs me!

Dark Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies with Blueberry Ganache

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

2/4 cup best-quality semisweet chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Hershey's Dark cocoa powder

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened

6 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Ganache, recipe below

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F.  

1. Butter a 13 x 9-inch pan or 2 9-inch round pans and set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and bring it to just below a boil. Place the chocolate chips in a large bowl. Pour the hot butter over the chips and let stand for 30 seconds. Stir until completely melted. 

3. Sift in the sugar and cocoa powder. Beat in the mascarpone, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth. Gently fold the flour and salt into the batter.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan(s) and spread evenly. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes for the 13 x 9 pan (I used 2 9-inch round pans and it only took 20 minutes!)

5. Cool for 10 - 15 minutes. Spread the warm ganache over the brownies. Allow the ganache to set completely before cutting into squares.

Blueberry Ganache

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce bag best-quality semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups frozen blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Place the chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Place the blueberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture becomes sauce-like and bubbly. Pour into a sieve or strainer that is placed over the bowl containing the chocolate chips to catch the blueberry liquid. Discard the remaining blueberries. 

3. Bring the cream and butter to just below boiling in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture until smooth. The ganache should be warm when used for spreading.

Source: Picky Palate