Sparkle Donkey Tequila Brownies
When I was pregnant with our daughter Damiana, my husband Demian and I were thinking of ways to show appreciation to the hospital staff so we’d have our bags appropriately packed once the estimated due date was approaching. We had to have a Mexican connection somehow to acknowledge the baby’s heritage, and we figured that bringing a bottle of tequila to give to the staff as a gift might go over well with some, but might stir up a bit of trouble overall. Brownies are hard to refuse, though, so we decided to put the tequila in the chocolate and get to baking. We used Sparkle Donkey reposado, a winner in the 2012 NY International Spirits Competition. We were the party in Labor and Delivery when the big day came, for sure!
Sparkle Donkey Tequila Brownies
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons Sparkle DonkeyReposado tequila (though any good reposado will do)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups pecans, chopped
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8x2 square pan. Heat butter and chips in a small sauce pan over low heat. Stir constantly until all is melted. In mixing bowl, add cocoa, sugar, flour, tequila, baking powder, salt and eggs. Pour in melted butter and chocolate, mixing just until combined. Stir in 1 cup of pecans. Spread mixture in the pan and sprinkle with remaining nuts. Bake 30 minutes or until the center is set. Cool completely before cutting into squares.