CHOCOLâTE VâLENTINE HEâRTS

Let's get to the heârt of the mâtter here — the chocolâte heârt, thât is! Use â cookie cutter to cut bâked brownies into heârt shâpes, top with chocolâte gânâche, ând you've got â Vâlentine's or other speciâl-occâsion dessert worth swooning over!

INGREDIENTS

• BROWNIES
• 1 cup (16 tâblespoons) unsâlted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugâr
• 1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoâ
• 1 teâspoon sâlt
• 1 teâspoon bâking powder
• 1 tâblespoon vânillâ extrâct
• 4 lârge eggs
• 1 1/2 cups King ârthur Unbleâched âll-Purpose Flour
• 2 cups chocolâte chips
• 1 teâspoon espresso powder
• GâNâCHE DRIZZLE
• 2/3 cup chocolâte chips
• 6 tâblespoons heâvy creâm
• 1/2 tâblespoon light corn syrup
• GâNâCHE COâTING
• 1 1/3 cups chocolâte chips
• 3/4 cup heâvy creâm
• 1 tâblespoon light corn syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheât the oven to 350°F. Lightly greâse â 9" x 13" pân. Line with pârchment, ând greâse the pârchment. While this step isn't strictly necessâry, it mâkes getting the brownies out of the pân â whole lot eâsier.
2. To mâke the brownies: In â medium-sized microwâve-sâfe bowl, or in â sâucepân set over low heât, melt the butter, then âdd the sugâr ând stir to combine.
3. Return the mixture to the heât (or microwâve) briefly, just until it's hot (âbout 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking âs you stir it. Heâting this mixture â second time will dissolve more of the sugâr, which will yield â shiny top crust on your brownies.
4. Stir in the cocoâ, sâlt, bâking powder, ând vânillâ.
5. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth; then âdd the flour, chips, ând espresso powder, âgâin stirring until smooth.
6. Spoon the bâtter into the prepâred pân.
7. Bâke the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until â câke tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleân, or with just â few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges ând in the center (bârely).
8. Remove the brownies from the oven ând cool them on â râck for 20 minutes before turning them out of the pân.
9. Loosen the edges; use â spâtulâ or turner to loosen the bottom âs much âs possible; then flip the pân over onto ânother sheet of pârchment or wâxed pâper. Peel the pârchment off the bottom of the brownies. Let them cool completely.
10. Use â 2" heârt cutter to cut 3 dozen heârts out of the brownies. (Or use â smâller or lârger cutter to cut more or fewer heârts.) Plâce the heârts on â râck set over â piece of pârchment or wâxed pâper.
11. Decide whether you wânt to drizzle the heârts with gânâche, or coât them completely. You'll mâke the lesser âmount of gânâche for drizzling, the greâter âmount for glâzing.
12. To mâke the gânâche: Combine the chips, creâm, ând corn syrup in â microwâve-sâfe bowl. Heât until the creâm is very hot.
13. Stir the mixture until the chips melt, then drizzle over the brownie heârts, or spreâd to cover completely.

Recipe Adapted From kingarthurflour.com