Spicy Chocolate Truffle Brownies

These Spicy Chocolate Truffle Brownies are thick, rich and fudgy with a little kick from cayenne pepper. So delicious!

Yeah I totally know what you’re thinking.

Chocolate. Cayenne. Now way! What in the world could it possibly taste like? Could those flavors even work? Well I’m here to tell you that yes it sure does and I LOVE them!

The inspiration for these spicy brownies came from a bar of chocolate. When shopping the aisles of Target for items to send in a care package to send my sister in North Carolina, I swiped a bar of chili-infused chocolate. When I got home I was totally wishing I bought myself a bar and contemplated if I should “forget” to send hers and keep it all to my greedy-little-chocolate-hoarding self. In the end, I did what’s right… and shipped it.

Moral of the story. Always ALWAYS buy two, maybe three.

TO Make These Spicy Chocolate Truffle Brownies You Will Need:

• bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• unsalted butter, cut into pieces (plus more for greasing the pan)
• eggs, at room temp
• granulated sugar
• dark brown sugar
• unbleached all-purpose flour
• unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
• cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• baking powder
• kosher salt

Start with 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and a stick of unsalted butter. Everything heavenly either starts or ends with “a stick of butter”.

Break up the chocolate into a sauce pan.

Cut up the butter.

And add it to the sauce pan with the chocolate.

Heat on low, slowly melting and stirring occasionally.

While the chocolate and butter are doing their thing; I threw the flour, cocoa, kosher salt, baking powder, and chili powder into mesh sifter.

I sifted the dry ingredients into a large bowl and tried not get it all over the place and succeeded! Then just set aside.

Now the chocolate is all melted and shiny, so I pulled it off the heat.

Then add in the white sugar and dark brown sugar.

Then mix until all that glorious sugar is incorporated.

Next add in one egg at a time, whisk and repeat until all four eggs are in.

*I wait until the chocolate has cooled a bit and my eggs up to around room temp so they don’t curdle and cook.

Wait. Maybe I’d stop here, grab a spoon and go hide somewhere.

Then add in the flour/cocoa mixture in spoonfuls at a time and mixed after every addition.

Next I prepped my 8×8 pan with butter and parchment paper.

Parchment = easy removal. Easy removal = my pan doesn’t get scratched. Me Not having to spend more money on expensive Calphalon pans = priceless.

Next, once the flour mixture was all mixed in pour the batter into the pan.

Then I spread the batter out with my finger a spatula and baked it in a preheated 350° oven for about 35-40 minutes. If you are using a 9×13 you may need to just bake it for 25-30 minutes. But as I always say: every ones oven is different. Check your brownies with a tooth pick or skewer, it’s done when the skewer comes out clean.

But if you’re like me… and I like mine fudgy, so I’m okay with a little chocolate attached to the tester.

Next, remove from pan once cooled and safe to handle.

Then sprinkle with reserved cocoa powder.

Finally, cut into 12 squares. Keep in mind that if you’re making a spicier brownie, you may want to consider keeping them a little on the small side.

To describe these brownies is pretty dang simple. The brownie itself is fudgy (because I always under bake mine, and yes it’s on purpose) and as your salivary glands are enjoying the chocolaty goodness, it’s when you swallow… that you feel a little bit of warmth in the back of your throat. It’s kind of remarkable. It’s one of those things that you won’t believe it could possibly taste good until you try it, kinda how I feel about avocado frosting… sounds kinda gross but I bet it’s delicious!

Note the fudgy inside. to.die.for.

Lucky for my thighs, I took these spicy chocolate cayenne truffle brownies to a family get together… otherwise I’d weigh 1,346 pounds, because I would’ve eaten them ALL!

Enjoy! And if you give this Spicy Chocolate Truffle Brownies recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 16 servings

Spicy Chocolate Truffle Brownies

These Spicy Chocolate Cayenne Truffle Brownies are thick, rich and fudgy with a little kick from cayenne pepper. So delicious!

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces (plus more for greasing the pan)
• 4 large eggs, at room temp
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment

• USA Pan Bakeware Square Cake Pan, 8 inch, Nonstick & Quick Release Coating, Made in the USA from Aluminized Steel

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 350°.
• Prep your pan with butter and line with parchment.
• In a sauce pan, place the broken chocolate and butter. Melt over low heat, stirring often. Once melted, remove off of the heat and add both sugars, stir and set aside.
• Next sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and cayenne into a large bowl and set aside. To the slightly warm chocolate add in one egg at a time whisking after each additional egg. Then add spoonfuls of the flour/cocoa mixture and stir with a spatula until smooth.
• Pour batter into prepared 8x8 pan and bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. For more fudgy brownies, the tester should come out slightly coated with a thicker coat of chocolate batter, it shouldn't be runny.
• Let cool and remove. Sprinkle with reserved cocoa powder and cut into desired size. If making a spicier brownie, you may want to consider keeping them a little on the small side.
• Serve with vanilla bean ice cream if desired.

Notes

*If using a 9x13 pan, bake for 20-25 minutes and test for desired doneness.

Serving: 1g, Calories: 278kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 109mg, Potassium: 153mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 28g, Vitamin A: 291IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 2mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Desserts & Sweet Treats

Cuisine: American