Cran-Cherry Pretzel Brownies

I made these brownies for a potluck dinner at church a while ago. The theme was tacos and I couldn't figure out what sort of side dish went with tacos, so I made a dessert.

This recipe was chosen for a few reasons. One, chocolate and spicy foods always seem like a good pair to me. (Besides, only goofy guesses don't like chocolate. Yeah I have a friend who doesn't like chocolate. Don't worry. I revoked her "Girl Card." ) Second, I'd been eyeing the pretzel crust cherry brownies from Heather's Dish for months and hadn't found an excuse to make them yet. Third, I was short on time and it seemed like a quick and easy recipe to whip up.

I took the easy route and used a box brownie mix with chocolate chunks. It had been sitting in the pantry for a while and needed to get used up before mrblocko saw that it was about to expire. (He gets so picky about that stuff. Won't let me keep anything past it's expiration date. He is so unfun that way.) I also used cherry flavored cranberries instead of plain dried cherries.

EXCEPT...someone had been nibbling on the cranberries. I only had 1/2 cup instead of the 3/4 c called for in the recipe. I don't know who did that, but they are in BIG trouble. Excuse me, I'm going to go stand in the corner now.

OK, I'm back! While the brownies could have used more dried cranberries, they were still tasty nonetheless. If I do make these again I will be adding the full amount in. The bites that did contain a bit of tartness went really well with the chocolate and left me wanting more. I did have one problem though. The crust did not set up very well. I think I didn't crush them fine enough. Instead of smashing them with my trusty frying pan, I think I will give them a whirl in the food processor. I think that way they'll get a slightly finer and more even chop.

These brownies went really fast. Although, I'm not sure if that was because Mrblocko and I ate at least 3 each. I cut them on the small side for that reason. It's always so much more satisfying to eat three brownies than just one. I don't know about you, but I will always want at least three brownies at a time no matter what their dimensions are. At least I know that about myself and have the foresight to slice them on the small side.

Pretzel Crust Cherry brownies from Heather's Dish
PRETZEL CRUST
2 1/3 cups pretzels, crumbled
1 cup butter, melted
5 Tbsp granulated sugar

First, preheat the oven to 400. Smash pretzels and combine ingredients. Press into 9x13 pan , and bake at 400 for 6-7 min. Won’t be completely solid, so keep pan even.

BROWNIE
1 2/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) melted butter
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
3/4 c dried cherries

melt butter; add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and water. Then Cocoa powder and flour til just combined. Add cherries. Carefully pour over pretzel crust. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until brownies are set and a knife comes out clean. Let them cool completely before serving.