Cherry Brownie Sundaes Recipe

Ingredients

• For the brownies:
• 1/2 lb cherries
• 1/4 cup port
• 1 box brownie mix (I use Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownies), or your favorite brownie recipe, prepared according to direction
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving
• For the roasted cherry-port sauce:
• 1/2 lb cherries
• 1/2 cup port
• 1/3 cup sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Remove stems, pit cherries, and then cut in half (or quarters if very large).
3. Place in a small baking dish with 1/4 cup of port.
4. Roast for 30 minutes, until the cherries are very soft and the port has slightly reduced (you’ll have 2-3 Tbsp of liquid).
5. Set the cherries aside to cool while you prepare your brownies according to directions.
6. Reduce oven heat according to your brownie recipe.
7. Grease an 8×8 baking pan.
8. As the last step in making the brownie batter, stir in the cherries and accumulated juices and then transfer to the baking pan.
9. Bake until a knife inserted in the center of the brownies comes out with moist crumbs attached (~45 minutes in my oven).
10. To make the cherry port sauce, remove the stems and pits from the remaining 1/2 lb cherries.
11. Quarter the cherries and then coarsely chop.
12. Add to a small sauce pan with the port and sugar, cooking over medium-high until it begins to boil.
13. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 35-40 minutes, until very thick and syrupy (you’ll have ~1 cup of sauce).
14. Serve brownies topped with a scoop of ice cream and a spoonful of warm cherry-port sauce.
15. Leftover sauce will keep in the fridge for several days, serve rewarmed.