Dark Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Ghost Pepper Brownies

These didn’t last long at all!

As promised, here is the recipe for these brownies. I love spicy food. Sriracha is always on my counter next to the stove and I’m always looking for ways to incorporate different spicy/heat spices into food, even desserts. There are several brands of chocolate bars I have found over the years with chili’s of various types in them that I have enjoyed, so the combination of sweet and spicy is one I am familiar with.

Bhut jolokia, aka the ghost pepper

My parents had a pretty successful garden this year and one of the pepper varieties they grew were ghost peppers. These peppers held the Guinness Book of World Records record for hottest pepper from 2007 until 2011 (with the hottest pepper now being the Carolina Reaper taking the crown in 2013). You can read about the 10 hottest peppers here. The ghost pepper is currently ranked at number 7.

My dad gave me a couple of these peppers and I began thinking about how to best use them. I’ve had ghost pepper in various sauces and other dishes, but not in a dessert. I decided to take my love of chocolate and spicy food and combine them into one. The result was the dark chocolate chunk hazelnut ghost pepper brownie.

Here’s a small hint: use gloves when touching/cutting ghost peppers. I used a pair of thick dish washing gloves when I minced the ghost pepper. Then, I washed the knife and cutting board I was using before removing the gloves and discarding them. There was no way I wanted to risk getting any of the ghost pepper oil on my hands, on my face or in my eyes. For those who eschew using gloves for any reason in the kitchen, don’t say you weren’t warned!

Dark Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Ghost Pepper Brownies

Ingredients

10~12 ounce back dark chocolate chunks (use your favorite brand)

1/2 C unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1/2 t salt

2 C sugar

1 t vanilla

1 1/4 C all~purpose flour

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ghost pepper, minced

1/2 ~ 3/4 C hazelnuts

Directions

1. Preheat over to 350° and grease a 9″X13″ baking pan.
2. Melt the butter and 2/3 C of the dark chocolate chunks. I microwave them together in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one until melted/combined.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and salt until frothy.
4. Add the sugar and vanilla until well blended.
5. Add the chocolate butter mixture and combine.
6. Stir the flour and cocoa together, then add to the mixture and blend well.
7. Fold in the minced ghost pepper and the rest of the bag of dark chocolate chunks.
8. Pour into the baking dish and top with 1/2~2/3 C of hazelnuts. Use as many as you would like to cover the brownies.
9. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or butter knife comes out clean from the center of the brownie pan.
10. Cool and serve with a cold glass of milk!

These were eaten by 8 year~old’s to very wise and mature parents! They have a slight heat that builds slowly with each bite, but never overpowered anyone. I might experiment with the recipe and add two ghost peppers, but that will be down the road. One was enough for this batch.

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Coming next, “Dark Chocolate Almond Amaretto Cheesecake!”