Cocoa Almond Pretzel Crust Brownies

Salty-sweet combinations are just. The best. My favorite involve chocolate; the saltiness really enhances the chocolate flavor!

These Brownies are an absolutely delicious salty-sweet combo. The super chocolately, fudgy brownie is made with Endangered Species Chocolate Almond Spread with Cocoa (and 3 other different kinds of chocolate!)  while the crust is make of a deliciously salty pretzel/graham cracker combination.

 

The Almond Spread adds a different lay of flavor to the brownies. To keep the almond flavor noticeable in the brownies, I also used some almond extract. If you don’t have almond extract, or don’t want as much almond flavor, you can use vanilla extract.

What makes these brownies even more tasty is that the chocolate spread used in the brownies also helps give back: Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10% of net profits annually to 10% GiveBack Partners. In the past three years, Endangered Species Chocolate’s (ESC) 10% GiveBack program has donated more than $1.2 million for its carefully chosen beneficiaries!

 

ESC recently announced its 2016-2018 partners: Rainforest Trust and Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN). The organizations will receive 10% of ESC’s annual net profits (or a minimum annual donation of $10,000, whichever is greater) to fund projects they deem most important to achieving their conservation goals.

Rainforest Trust has saved more than 11 million acres of tropical forests to-date, but ESC’s 10% GiveBack program will be vital in expediting the organization’s goal of preserving 20 million acres by the year 2020. WCN funds projects in 24 different countries where the 10% GiveBack program will contribute to helping a myriad of at-risk species.

Past 10% GiveBack partners include SEE Turtles, SEEtheWild, Chimp Haven and, most recently, the Xerces Society and African Wildlife Foundation (AWF).

 

Endangered Species Chocolate was also kind enough to send me some extra jars of their delicious spreads to give away to one I Can Cook That reader! Details after the recipe.

 

Ingredients:
For crust:

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 1.5 cups crushed pretzels (about 2 cups mini pretzels before crushed)
• 1/2 cup ground graham crackers
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

For brownies:

• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1.5 cups (~9 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces (1 baking bar) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 (9.7 oz) jar Endangered Species Chocolate Almond Spread with Cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. To make the crust, heat the butter over medium low heat until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Grind your pretzels in a food processor and measure out 1.5 cups into a large bowl. Grind your graham crackers and measure out 1/2 cup, adding it to the same bowl. Add in the brown sugar and melted butter and mix to combine.

Press the mixture into a 9×9 inch baking pan. (To make clean up easier, you can add parchment paper to the baking pan. If not, spray with cooking spray before adding in the crust.)

Bake the crust at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

While waiting for the crust to cook, prepare the brownie mixture. Add the chocolate chips, butter, and unsweetened chocolate to a double boiler. (Or, if you’re like me and don’t have one, add the ingredients to a small metal bowl and place over a saute pan with a little bit of water in it. Bring the water to a simmer, making sure that the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the metal bowl.) Stir occasionally until melted and fully combined. Stir in one jar of the Endangered Species Chocolate Almond Spread with Cocoa. Set aside.

Add the sugar and eggs to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add in the almond extract, mixing to combine. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the wet mixture until fully combined.

Pour the batter into the baking pan over the crust and smooth to evenly distribute.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with crumbs (rather than wet batter).

Let cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

What fabulously decadent brownies! Cut these guys small; they are so dense and fudgy you only need a little bit!

I love the subtle almond flavor along with the different chocolates in this brownie. The nutty flavor pairs so well with the pretzel crust!

On to the giveaway: Endangered Species Chocolate has three different types of spreads: classic Cocoa, Almond, and Hazelnut. Each flavor is Fair Trade, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, and Vegan. I have a jar of each for one lucky reader! Use the widget below to enter. Good luck!

 

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