“Fifteen men on the Dead Man’s Chest ……Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest …..Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”- Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island.
Trying and testing christmas fruit cakes means that there is plenty of rum lying around! I know that excess of liquor is never a problem. Nonetheless , I was looking into new ways of incorporating it into my baking. These brownies are perfect for the cause . They are delicious and the perfect Christmas treat for those chocoholics in your family who don’t like other fruity cakes .
The raisins are plumped by soaking in a good splash of the rum – the longer , the better. But my two hours were enough to do the trick . Brandy would do good as well , whisky maybe. If you aren’t quite feeling risqué enough to put alcohol in your brownies , you could use orange juice . You’d have a whole different tasting brownie though. The brownie batter itself is straight forward and the rum-ified raisins are folded in right at the end.
The brownies are dense and moist , the edges are chewy , the rum is alluring , the raisins a welcome surprise . These “adult” brownies are really good!
Rum and raisin brownies
Ingredients
- 150 grams dark chocolate
- 112 grams or 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 100 grams or 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 62 grams or 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 75 grams seedless raisins
- 60 ml or 1/4 cup dark rum
Instructions
- Soak the raisins in the rum. Keep aside for atleast 30 minutes or as long as you want.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C /350 F. Line a 8 inch square pan with parchment paper or aluminium foil keeping the edges long enough so you can pull it out after baking.
- Melt the chopped chocolate and butter together one the stove top or microwave until smooth.
- Whisk in the sugar.
- Whisk in the eggs, one by one , followed by the vanilla extract.
- Whisk in the flour.
- Whisk in the rum soaked raisins and any unabsorbed rum .
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-38 minutes until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out with few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely in pan , remove the brownie slab using the foil/parchment , and slice with a sharp knife.
Notes
I used Old Monk dark rum and seedless black raisins .
While adding the eggs , whisk continuously so the eggs don't cook.
For the best texture in brownies , try not to overbeat ( whisk only until ingredient is combined) and or overheat ( bake only until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs).
Rum and raisins are such a fun and festive take on brownies. The alcohol is not overpowering but its definitely there! Its more a flavour than an intoxication – does that make sense?
If you want to include some chocolate into your christmas platter , this is a great way to do it!
Affiliate links : Just so you know, I have baked these brownies in my trusty Morphy Richards 52 Litre Oven .
Happy baking !
