1 Cup of Butter
4 oz. Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
2 Cups Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Tsps. Vanilla
1 Tsp. Almond Extract
1 ½ Cups Flour
½ Cup Chocolate Chips
1 ½ Cups Fresh, Whole Cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and drain
cranberries. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate
together (I find that if you melt the butter a little bit first before adding
the chocolate to the pan, it provides a bit of insulation and prevents the
chocolate from burning without the need for a double boiler). Stir frequently.
When mixture is melted and smooth, remove from heat and add sugar. Add eggs,
one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla and almond extract (a little
almond extract goes a long way, but I find that it livens up a lot of baked
goods and gives them that little something extra). Add flour and stir until thoroughly combined.
Make sure that the mixture has cooled to around a
lukewarm temperature, then add chocolate chips (otherwise, they’ll just melt in
the batter). Stir in cranberries.
Pour into a 13x9 pan, and bake for 30 minutes.
Cool, cut, and enjoy.
NOTE: These brownies are great fresh out of the
oven, but I find that they’re even better a day later. That way, they’ve had a
chance to steep in the moisture of the cranberries, making them fudgier. At least, I think that's what's going on. It could be brownie gnomes, who sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night and sprinkle magic fudge dust on them. I don't pretend to understand it. I just know that they're really, really good.
