Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

There are lots of flavor combinations in this world that, in my mind, are to die for!  Especially combinations including chocolate.  For instance: chocolate + peanut butter, chocolate + coconut, chocolate + cherry, chocolate + banana, chocolate + vanilla and the very best yet: chocolate + raspberry.

I absolutely LOVE chocolate and raspberry anything!  When I get ice cream, I typically order chocolate ice cream with raspberries on top.  When I get a piece of chocolate out of the box, I go for the the piece with creamy raspberry filling inside.  And when I eat brownies, I prefer them with raspberry jam swirled throughout.  Giada De Laurentiis has never, ever, disappointed me with her recipes and this lovely comes straight from her!

Brownies are good by themselves; they can certainly stand alone.  But every now and then I like to mix it up and add some fun to them.  Lately, when I have made brownies, I swirl a little raspberry jam in the mixture and top them off with drizzled white chocolate and chopped almonds!  Yum, yum, yum!  This is, by far, my favorite way to make them now and they have not let me down when I've taken them to gatherings with friends!  The raspberry in the chocolate speaks for itself while the white chocolate on top really complements the two flavors without making them overly sweet.  And the almonds?  The salty flavor and crunchy texture bring these bad boys to a whole other level!

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Ingredients
1 box of Brownie Mix
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Water
2/3 cup Raspberry Jam
4 oz. White Chocolate , chopped
1/2 cup Almonds, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the brownie mix, eggs, oil and water until smooth.  Spread the batter evenly into baking dish.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the jam over med-high heat until melted into a smooth consistency.  Carefully pour the jam into the brownie batter and swirl with a butter knife to incorporate the jam throughout the mixture.  Bake for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Prepare the white chocolate by melting over a double boiler until smooth and creamy.  Drizzle the chocolate over the brownies and sprinkle the almonds on top.  Let cool.

Yield: 16 Servings
Source: Adapted from Giada at Home