Chocolate Chip Chipotle Brownies with Apricot
Semi-homemade brownies with chocolate chips, chipotle chile pepper and slightly tart apricot preserves…a wonderful combination of flavors.
Ingredients
For the Brownie Batter - Dry Ingredients:
- 1 box (18.3 ounces) CHEWY FUDGE BROWNIE MIX
- 2 heaping teaspoons ground chipotle chili pepper
- 1 heaping teaspoon instant coffee granules
For the Brownie Batter - Wet Ingredients and Chocolate Chips:
- Eggs - use amount according to package instructions
- Canola Oil - use amount according to package instructions
- Water - use amount according to package instructions
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the Batter Topping:
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the Baking Pan:
- 2 teaspoons softened butter
Equipment
- For the Baking Pan - A 9 x 9-inch metal baking pan and parchment paper
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat oven according to the brownie mix package instructions. For the package of brownie mix I used, I preheated the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease the Pan - Inside a 9 x 9-inch metal baking pan, grease all sides and the bottom with butter (the butter will help with the next step which is to add parchment paper to the inside of the pan).
- Line the Pan with Parchment Paper - Cut a piece of parchment paper so that there is enough excess to hang over the sides of the pan (these will be “handles” when removing the uncut brownies from the pan after they cool).Press the paper onto the inside of the pan and smooth it out over the butter which should assist with keeping the paper attached to the pan.
- In each corner inside of the pan, make creases in the parchment paper and flatten them out so that the paper lays flat against the inside of the pan (so that the parchment paper doesn’t bunch up in the corners).
- If there’s too much parchment paper hanging off the sides, cut off the excess. Just make sure to leave enough paper hanging over the sides so that it can be used to pull the uncut brownies out of the baking pan. Set the pan aside.
Brownie Batter - Dry Ingredients:
- In a medium to large size mixing bowl, add the pre-packaged brownie mix, ground chipotle chili pepper and instant coffee granules.
Brownie Batter - Wet Ingredients:
- To the bowl, add eggs, water and canola oil (each item according to the package mix instructions). With a large spoon, stir the batter until combined.
Brownie Batter - Chocolate Chips:
- To the bowl add 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until combined.
Add Batter to the Baking Pan:
- Transfer the batter evenly into the parchment paper-lined baking pan.
Toppings for the Batter - Apricot Preserves and Chocolate Chips:
- Top the brownie batter with dollops of apricot preserves.For best results, keep the dollops of apricot preserves intact (don't mix it into the batter). This way, the taste of apricot should stand out with each bite and not be overpowered by the chocolate.
- Top the batter (and dollops of apricot preserves) evenly with the remaining (1/2 cup) of chocolate chips.
Bake:
- Bake in a preheated oven (at the degrees according to the package instructions*) until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.*Although the package instructions for the brownie mix that I used said the baking time was about 35 minutes for a 9 x 9 inch pan, it took about 45 minutes to bake these brownies.
Cool and Cut the Brownies:
- Cool the uncut brownies in the pan on a rack for about 1.5 hours.
- Once cooled, carefully lift the “handles” of parchment paper to transfer the entire pan of brownies onto a large cutting board. Cut the brownies into the desired servings.
Serve:
- These brownies are quite rich and can be cut into smaller pieces if desired. Or the entire uncut brownie can be served whole and cut individually on a portion-desired basis.
- These are delicious served very slightly warm with milk.
Notes
TIPS:
- For the Apricot Preserves - For best results, keep the dollops of apricot preserves intact (don't mix it into the batter). This way, the taste of apricot should stand out with each bite and not be overpowered by the chocolate.
- About the Baking Pan - I’ve only used a metal baking pan when making these brownies*. *Although I haven’t tried this out for myself with this recipe, generally, if substituting a 9 x 9 metal pan with a 9 x 9 ovenproof glass baking dish, the cooking temperature should be reduced by 25 degrees F. and the cooking time may be up to 10 minutes less with glass cookware (because glass doesn’t heat up as quickly as a metal pan does, but glass holds the heat longer).
- About the Baking Time - Bake the brownies in a preheated oven (at the degrees according to the package instructions*) until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
*Although the package instructions for the brownie mix that I used said the baking time was about 35 minutes for a 9 x 9 inch pan, it took about 45 minutes to bake these brownies.