Cherry Brownie Bites

I bought a few new pans several months ago, and I'm really loving them. Especially my little mini square pan - there's something extra adorable about tiny square baked goods. And when those baked goods are rich chocolate brownies studded with flecks of dried cherry - all the better.

I have my old standby brownie recipe that I never try to change - why mess with perfection? Changing is one thing, but adding - that's something else. So adding delicious bits of dried cherries is a-OK in my book. And the deep flavor of the cherries pairs so well with the rich chocolate - I get why people eat chocolate-covered cherries now!

I like these as itty bite sizes, but there's no reason you can't also bake a pan of brownies as usual - it's certainly less effort. I provide instructions for both below. I used pitted dried cherries that I found at Costco, but you can use any kind you like, I would just make sure they are pitted. Removing pits from dried ones is even more of an undertaking than from fresh!

Recipe: 
11 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 tsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup chopped dried cherries

In a (very) large bowl, melt the chocolate, butter and espresso powder and mix together until smooth.
Whisk in the sugars until completely combined.
Add 3 of the eggs and whisk until combined, then add the remaining 2, plus the vanilla.
Whisk until all the ingredients are just mixed - don't overbeat.
Sprinkle the flour, cocoa powder, salt and dried cherries on top of the chocolate mixture.
Using a spatula, fold the mixture in until just a few streaks of white remain.
Pour the batter into a greased 9x13" metal or glass pan, or divide among greased mini cups.
Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes for a large pan, or 10-15 (with regular checking) for mini ones. Do not overbake!