Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

Mascarpone cheese is something I discovered from the beautiful Giada De Laurentiis. I have made several of her recipes that use mascarpone cheese and I was about to try a cupcake recipe of hers when I decided I just didn't feel like making them. Hmph. I googled mascarpone brownies figuring they must exist somewhere on the vast world wide web and low and behold this recipe popped up. Now I am sure Giada's cupcakes would have been a tasty treat for the dinner I was going to but these brownies are a show stopper. Make them. Make them now. Stop reading this and go make them. Well, maybe finish reading it so you know how, but then do it. They are fudgy and delicious, soft and chocolatey, everything a brownie should be. Perfection!

Source: RecipeZaar

Ingredients:

BROWNIES

1 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
3 large eggs, at room-temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

GANACHE

6 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons whipping cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1- Preheat oven to 325°F; have ready a buttered 8-inch square glass cake pan.

2- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and bring it to just below a boil; have the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl--pour the hot butter over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds.

3- Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

4- Sift in the sugar and cocoa powder.

5- With a wooden spoon, beat in the mascarpone, eggs, and vanilla, mixing until smooth.

6- Gently fold the flour and salt into the batter.

7- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly--this is important since, if the batter isn't spread evenly, it won't bake evenly.

8- Place into preheated oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

9- Place pan on a cooling rack and let brownies cool for 30 minutes.

10- Once the brownies have sat about 30 minutes, begin making the ganache.

11- Place chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl; in a small saucepan, bring the cream and the butter to just below the boiling point, over medium heat.

12- Pour this hot cream-butter mixture over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth; ganache is now ready to use and can be spread over the brownies.

13- Should you wish to wait a bit, make sure the ganache is warm when you spread over the brownies, as it does firm up which makes spreading hard to do.

14- Don't cut into the brownies until ganache has firmed up; I find it best to put the brownies into the fridge to speed this along.