Tuesday, October 27, 2009

TWD--Cherry--Nope, Fudge Brownie---Yep,Torte?

I did not make the Cherry part of this week's chosen TWD recipe, Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte.  I also did not make the mousse.  The recipe was chosen by April of Short + Rose.  You can get the full cherry laden, mousse-y recipe on her blog. 

I actually kind of like cherry and chocolate together, but my husband does not--at all.  He even makes a nasty face when we pass by the boxes of cherry cordials at the stores during the holidays.  I didn't think the boys would like it either.  And the mousse, well, sounds de-lish, but I decided against the cream cheese, mascarpone and heavy cream.  After looking at the richness of the brownie recipe, I just thought we didn't need all the extra fat involved with the mousse.  Maybe someday.  Yes, I'm sure someday we'll "NEED" that fat.  (eye roll)

SO, I halved the brownie recipe, scooped three ounces of batter into six ramekins, injected (with a pastry bag) the batter of each one with some ooey, melty caramel (12 unwrapped caramels and 1 1/2 tablespoons cream--melted together).  I wanted them to be more on the underdone side, so they baked for 19 minutes. 

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Mmm, grab a fork and dig in.   Um, no, not yet.  They need something more.  Okay, my plan all along was turtles!  I don't know what it is, but I've really been in to caramel lately (my recent Heavenly Chocolate Caramel Rice Krispies Treats and Halloween Oreo Caramel Rice Krispies Treats to name a few things).  I almost feel like I cannot have something caramel without nuts, specifically pecans.  BUT, I made these individually like this so the boys could all have a snack and we have a few here who don't like nuts (or so they say ;).  So I removed the brownies from each ramekin with just a little lifting with a spoon and they all came out nicely.  (Whew.)

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Um---YUM!  But, that's not all!  Since I was skipping the mousse, I wanted to "challenge" myself with something, so I did something I hadn't done before and I whipped some cream (using  my arm and hand, a whisk, a bowl, some cream and a tablespoon of powdered sugar).  I feel a little proud about this!  After just a short time and a little arm pain, I had fresh whipped cream!

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Some may know, I grew up a Cool Whip girl and I cringe a little to tell you that well, I still prefer Cool Whip to the real stuff.  But we had the fresh real stuff with these brownies!  After a nice dollop of whipped cream, whoever wanted to sprinkled a generous amount of pecans over the top and then just because it seemed like the right thing to do, another drizzle of some caramel.  Oh, and the boys, of course, had to have some sprinkles on theirs!

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This. was. good!

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I would now like to try this recipe as just some regular brownies sometime.  Thanks for the fun pick, April.  Feel free to check out the other "tortes" at the Tuesday's With Dorie blog.  I can't wait to see all the mousse tortes out there!

28 comments:

♥peachkins♥ said...

freshly whipped cream...what a great topping!

Anonymous said...

Your turtle version looks delicious! This really was a delicious brownie, with or without the cherries and topping.

I love Cool Whip too, plus is just a little bit more convenient than the real stuff!

Amanda said...

Holy cow, that's richly amazing! I can't believe you whipped that by hand LOL my arm would be dead, Thank goodness for the KA! ;) I'm so behind in commenting, I scrolled down and saw all your cool posts, will get busy! :)

April said...

Thanks for baking with me this week! I'm sure the caramel was a geat subsitituion, it looks yummy.

Megan said...

So, you passed on the mousse because it contained cream, but you topped the brownies (with caramel) with whipped cream?

I like your logic. A lot.

Gourmified said...

Your torte looks delish!!! I love the caramel and pecan twist.

Unknown said...

*Love* the turtle version!! Looks soooo delicious. Cool whip rocks, doesnt it? All your caramel desserts have me craving turtle anything now! :)

Hindy said...

Perfection! You made the best decision to keep it simple.

Jennifer said...

Wow, I love turtle anything, like you I can't get enough of the caramel and pecan combo. I LOVE pecans and am just glad that both my kids do, too, otherwise ccc and brownies just wouldn't be the same. I happen to have two bags of caramels (never got around to making caramel apples this year) so I'll have to try your caramel injection method!

Soy*Baby said...

I want one of your brownies. I love caramel and brownies. I, like your husband, detest chocolate and cherries. Although by making a dessert I knew I wasn't going to like I can say I haven't overindulged this week. If I was at your house I would be in trouble. I want one with whipped cream, nuts and sprinkles. Thanks. :)

Anonymous said...

I love your take on the brownie torte! It looks super gooey and delicious with all of that caramel! I cannot believe you whipped the cream by hand - kudos, lots! =)

Maria said...

Ok, that looks sinfully delicious!

Anonymous said...

Oh yum, I like everything you did with the torte.

Melody said...

I'm with your husband in the cherry and chocolate department. Not my thing. But Santa always puts a box of those cherry cordials in my husband's stocking. :)

Donna-FFW said...

I'll take sprinkles on mine too. They look chewy, gooey, chocolately, and sinful. All the qualities I love.

Chocolaty Lifestyle said...

I like your version with caramel, it must be totally great!

CookiePie said...

Oh YUM YUM YUM -- love the oozy caramel in there, and the fresh whipped cream!!!

Megan said...

It's like a molten caramel brownie. I'll take that over a cherry thingy! Great recipe!

Rylan said...

Oh my gosh, I want one of those. YUMMMY!

Valerie said...

I love cherry and chocolate together, but I also really love caramel and chocolate together too!!! Yours look like my kind of dessert!

noble pig said...

The fat is why I would have made it, LOL! Still sounds good though!

Becky @ Project Domestication said...

these looks so good! am am way into caramel too!

so cool to see you are so close to Sam! I had no idea...it's funny cause I was totally checking your blog a couple days ago and had no idea!

I am a bit late on this recipe. It's in the oven right now....we'll see how it turns out.

Liz said...

I'm always so curious to see what variations you come up with! :) I love the turtle idea. These brownies begged for something gooey and crunchy to go with...yummy.

vibi said...

Eveything you make looks so delicious man... sticky, goowey, goodness! Mmmm... Nice subs!

Lisa said...

YES YES YES..caramel and pecans DEFINITELY trump cherry in my book! I love how you turned the torte into individiuals too, although I'd want like 5 of them..lol Amazing job as always, Katrina!

Teanna said...

Now THAT is a dessert I can dig in to! I once made whipped cream by hand... my arm was killing me!

Sophia said...

Whoa!! And those sell for a LOT in restaurants...yours look So professional and gorgeous!

The Cogswells said...

You guys looked so awesome!!! I loved the nerd costumes. Kevin looked so funny!!