Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies

Instructions

for the brownie base:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. To achieve ultra clean cuts, prepare a pan with a foil or parchment paper liner. Fold a long piece of heavy foil into a 13" wide strip and place inside a 9'' x 13'' metal baking pan, leaving overhang on 2 long sides. Spray foil with nonstick spray. If you're not looking for perfect brownie cuts, simply spray pan with nonstick spray and eliminate the foil lining.
3. Stir butter and chocolate in large heavy saucepan over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, then eggs, one at a time. Whisk in vanilla and salt, and then sift flour over. Stir to blend well. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
4. Bake brownies until puffed and dry-looking and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter attached, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack.

for the cherry cordial buttercream:

1. Coarsely chop the cherries. Place a paper towel on a dinner plate and spread the chopped cherries out on top of it. Gently press another layer of paper towel on top of the cherries, soaking up excess juice. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, cherry juice, and almond extract. Beat on medium-high until fluffy, another 1 to 2 minutes. With a spatula, fold in the chopped cherries. Spread over the cooled brownies in an even layer and then place pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

for the chocolate glaze:

1. On the stovetop over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, gently melt together the chocolate and butter. Take care to not let it scorch. Drizzle over the chilled cherry buttercream layer, and then quickly and gently spread the glaze to an even layer. The glaze will be thin. Cool until glaze hardens.
2. If you lined the pan with foil, use a knife to cut around the edges of the pan and loosen any areas that might have gotten stuck. Grab the 2 long foil edges and gently lift brownies from the pan. Place on a large cutting board and cut into squares.
3. To achieve clean cuts, dip your knife into a tall glass of warm water after each cut, and then clean off the knife blade before cutting again. The bars cut best when they are chilled.