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The Batter Thickens

A food blog balancing sweet treats & healthy eats.

Cherry Cola Brownies

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As someone who was always told growing up that I acted “older,” and was “responsible for my age,” etc, I was always very skeptical of that whole “your prefrontal cortex is done developing at 25” thing. But then lo and behold, I turned 25, and around then it did feel like something clicked into place in my brain! Everything calmed down a bit. It’s hard to describe, but it definitely felt like there was a shift of some kind. I don’t feel like psycho-analyzing myself too much on this blog. But the really weird thing, was that exactly around the same time, I started craving Coca Cola.

Cherry Cola Brownies

I had spent 25 years impervious to the constant Coca Cola advertisements that surround us . Before every movie, on a gazillion billboards, in every grocery store. In middle school I even went to the Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta, where you can try every soda they have. I hated every cola!

But then, I tried the Dr. Pepper Poppi’s, and then I suddenly wanted the Cola Poppi’s, and then… just straight up Coca Cola. I suddenly craved it. Was this connected to my prefrontal cortex finishing?? Probably not, but it really felt like it was connected, timing-wise.

It’s not like I’m main-lining Coca Cola now, but if I splurge for a soda at the movies… It’s probably going to be Diet Coke! Who am I?? It was a bit of an identity crisis.

Anyways, now that Coca Cola is something I enjoy, I felt I ought to bake with it. And when I found some cola extract, there was no more excuse! I treated it like root beer extract, which I use frequently, and put it in some brownies. Instead of vanilla frosting, cherry! Because cherry coke is a classic.

I think I liked the root beer extract brownies better, but these weren’t bad. I think maybe I put too much extract in? But also maybe I just prefer my cola to be a drink! There’s another recipe or two I want to try out (and also a whole bottle of extract to use), so I’ll be trying some more cola-flavored desserts in the future!

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Cherry Cola Brownies

Cherry Cola Brownies

  • Author: Audrey
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Ingredients

For the brownies:

  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 5.5 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon cola extract
  • 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature

For the frosting:

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 1.5–2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together. Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan (or using a double broiler) over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the and add the sugar and brown sugar. Whisk until completely combined, then remove pan from stovetop and allow to come to room temperature.
  3. Add 2 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the cola extract and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
  4. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is still visible.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.
  6. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper.
  7. While they’re cooling, prepare the frosting: in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add in the maraschino cherry juice and continue beating until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar and salt, and beat until light and fluffy.
  8. Frost cooled brownies, then cut into squares and serve. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

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