Oh yes, I did!
Grilling brownies on the panini press – it works! They may be a little flatter than typical brownies, but they’re still soft and chocolatey and warm and the perfect platform for dessert panini. I grilled these up with some slightly tart frozen yogurt inside, the most wonderful blueberry balsamic syrup (thanks, Dragon’s Kitchen!), a sprinkling of chopped nuts and some freshly whipped cream. My sister, husband and I agreed – these little brownie sandwiches were insanely delicious!
So why not just bake brownies the normal way? Well, of course I definitely could have. But they wouldn’t be done in just 5 minutes! And once you smell brownies baking in your kitchen, who wants to wait? Certainly no one in my household. Plus, the fact that they’re a little height-challenged is actually a good thing – we could justify eating two of them without feeling like complete gluttons (just partial ones :-)).
Unless you enjoy having a lot of sticky chocolate stuff all over your hands, arms and shirt I wouldn’t recommend my initial approach of piping. I made a ridiculous mess in transferring the batter from my mixing bowl to my plastic bag. And then once I was done piping…um, there didn’t seem to be an “off” switch! Brownie just kept spilling out uncontrollably. Nope, spooning the batter onto the grates is a much better way to go – nice and simple, plus you can lick the spoon.
Blueberry balsamic syrup…I need a moment…I can hardly begin to describe just how addictive this stuff was! It’s almost like when you’re enjoying a fantastic homemade caramel sauce and you just have to scrape every last drop from the bottom of your bowl. Except that it’s blueberry sauce. It’s sweet and acidic and syrupy and just the best thing I can imagine to serve with chocolate brownies and vanilla frozen yogurt (yes, even better than caramel!). I adapted the recipe from a delicious one I recently saw on Dragon’s Kitchen.
UPDATE: I’ve entered this sandwich into the SnackShots #6: Sandwich blog event.
Grilled Brownie Sundae Panini
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
Blueberry Balsamic Syrup:
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup blueberries
Brownies:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Sundae Toppings:
Vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream
Whipped cream
Chopped nuts (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
In a small saucepan, bring the blueberry balsamic syrup ingredients to a boil. Stir for one minute and remove from heat. Set aside.
Preheat panini grill to 300 degrees.
Cook sugar, butter and water in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Stir in egg and vanilla until blended. Combine flour and baking soda; add to chocolate mixture.
Spoon brownie batter onto the panini grill in 8 equal portions (depending on the size of your grill, you may need to do this in batches). Close the lid of the grill, leaving about 1/4″ of space between the brownies and the upper grates. Grill for 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a brownie comes out clean. Carefully remove brownies from the grill (they will be a bit soft).
To assemble each sundae sandwich: Scoop frozen yogurt on top of one brownie. Sprinkle nuts on top of the frozen yogurt. Close sandwich with another brownie. Drizzle blueberry balsamic syrup over the top and finish with a dollop of whipped cream.
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sounds yummy!
yum!!! i think grilled brownies would be amazing — all crispy edges and gooey centers. i shouldn’t be thinking about this before lunch…
Just the other day, I pointed Peef (my DH) at your site, since he’s a HUGE panini fan. I think he just about died at the sight of all those sandwiches in one spot.
Now, he also happens to be a huge chocoholic. So, this is going to send him right over the edge! LOL!
I knew you had a bit of devilish in you and this is certainly proving that! I actually love the idea and the flatness! Thank you!
And adding the syrup…yeah, yummy.
Wow! That does not look healthy at all in the absolute best of ways 🙂
Whoa! That is the best looking brownie I’ve seen, I’ve got to try it!
brilliant! i’m loving the blueberries!
so if your house was on fire and you could only grab one thing, would it be your panini maker? 🙂
Wow! What a great idea! These look incredible, and I can almost imagine what that sauce tastes like. Almost. I may have to make it to find out.
Grace – That’s funny – you’d think so! Actually, I’d probably grab my daughter’s toy puppy to keep her occupied while I freaked out over the house. BUT, if I ever lived in a place with a super-tiny kitchen that could only hold one heating apparatus, I’d be all right if that apparatus was a panini maker 🙂
This looks so delicious. I would never have thought to grill a brownie but you make it look so good. I’m so happy I was able to help out even a little with this recipe. You rock!
These brownies would be even better than eating all the edges. Such a brilliant, yummy idea! Did you have to eat them quickly so the yogurt didn’t melt?
Bravo —what a great idea! Perfect for summer, as you don’t have to turn on the oven.
I just discoverd your panini blog and I love it! I have a new Capholon Press that I finally got the courage to try today: Proscuitto, Camenbert, plus Black Krim Tomatoes and Basil from my garden on sourdough.
I am thrilled to see your creative ideas. One question: my DH can’t eat cheese. How do I make a sandwich stay together without cheese?
That looks insanely good! The blueberry balsamic syrup sounds like a real treat. Yum!
IrishCream – Welcome to the blog! Your inaugural panini sounds fantastic (especially since part of it came from your own garden!!)
As for how to keep things together without cheese, I’ve found that pastier (for lack of a better descriptor) ingredients like hummus, white bean puree and guacamole work really well. They’re super-flavorful and have the added benefit of adhesive qualities. That’s my best recommendation!
Thank you for dropping by my blog, so I can stumble upon yours! Great photos; I’ll definitely be dropping by often 🙂
Those look almost obscenely delicious!
I never would have thought of panini brownies. They look great!
What a beautiful blog, and stunning photos. Wow!
You are so smart I would never have dared to try and make a panini brownie. Yum is all I can say.
Well, we know it works–thanks for the terrific pics! 🙂 That sounds (and looks) outrageously delicious, Kathy.
I’m in love with this! All i can say is that grilling is healthy, so let grill the brownies! Genious!
Those really do look insanely good! What a great idea! They’re like brownie pancakes. Hmmm. I bet you could call them that and get away with serving them for breakfast. 😉
I never thought about making brownies on a panini before. Your pictures look so good! I can’t wait to try the balsamic blueberry syrup. And thanks for reading my blog, I think you should try to make my tortilla recipe on your panini grill and let me know how it works.
Looks YUMMY!
Another amazing creation!
Now THIS is my kind of panini! Wowee!
Who knew Paninis could satisfy a chocolate craving! That looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it.
I’m glad you pointed out in the directions that you don’t press all the way down! I was just thinking I would try these, and would have pressed all the way down. What a mess that would have been! I wonder if this would work with pre-prepared (store bought) brownie mix?
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my daughter and I have become panini freaks. She bought me one for Christmas then bought one for her self. I can’t wait to make the brownies. Has any one made them from a box mix????