Luscious Chocolate Brownies With Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce (2024)

Here’s the problem with romantic dinners at home – after slaving away in the kitchen for hours, I’m not really in the mood to be romantic. Does that happen to anybody else?

Every once in a while, my husband and I have what we call a “Surprise Date”. Both of us prepare a surprise for the other person, and we have a special date on an ordinary day. It’s fun to do something spontaneous and surprises are always nice.

For some reason there is an expectation that a romantic dinner is elaborate, exotic and most definitely gourmet. When I decide to have a special dinner at home, I like to prepare a meal that has a romantic feel to it. You know what makes me feel romantic more than a candlelit dinner? Having the time to relax before that dinner, put on a nice outfit, put on some makeup and do my hair.

After all, we take time to make ourselves look good for other people. Isn’t it important to pretty myself up for my sweetheart? My husband is the one person that I want to look the best for.

When I make a special dinner for just the two of us, I choose simple, elegant meals. There are many meals you can make that take very little effort and you have spectacular results.

These brownies are the perfect choice for a romantic dinner, don’t you think? Chocolate is a natural choice. The luscious, creamy chocolate brownie is amazing served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce and a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts. It is so easy to make, you can mix it up in almost 15 minutes and put it in the oven to bake while you finish getting ready. You can also make it ahead of time and then heat up the slices of brownies in the microwave for a minute.

Go on a date. It’ll be fun. It’s awesome when a smile from your spouse still gives your goosebumps and makes your heart race.

Brownies:

16 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips, (or chopped chocolate bar)

2 sticks (1 cup) butter

8 eggs, room temperature

2 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 Tablespoons flour

Garnish:

Hazelnuts, toasted (as many as you want)

Vanilla ice cream

Fresh raspberries and mint, optional

Raspberry Sauce:

1 package (12 oz) frozen raspberries, thawed

3-5 Tablespoons sugar

dash of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with baking spray brush with melted butter or oil.

Add the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, your homemade double boiler. Add the butter to the chocolate and mix every once in a while until both are melted.

Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Mix the eggs, yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla for about 8 minutes, until the eggs are pale yellow and fluffy. Add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour over the batter. Mix with a spatula to combine.

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking sheet.Bake for 20-25 minutes. Don’t over bake the brownies. As soon as the top is hardened and the brownies don’t jiggle when you shake the pan, take them out of the oven.

While the brownies are baking, make the Raspberry Sauce.

Combine the raspberries, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh metal sieve. Push the sauce through, so that only the raspberry seeds are left. Throw out the seeds, of course. Add more sugar at this point, if you think it needs it. It depends on how sweet your berries are in the first place.

You can also make the sauce ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator and just reheat before serving.

Serve the brownies with a scoop of ice cream, toasted hazelnuts and raspberry sauce. You can also use any other kind of sauce that you like, instead of the raspberry sauce, like Caramel Sauce, for example. Use any types of nuts that you like – walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.

Do you see how gorgeous the texture of these brownies is? It’s more like a chocolate cake than a brownie, really. It’s absolutely divine. It just melts in your mouth. With the slightly tart Raspberry Sauce, the cold ice cream that starts to melt as soon as it meets with the warm brownie and the toasted hazelnuts, the combination of flavors, textures and temperatures is so complex. This dessert is so easy to make but is intriguing and definitely romantic.