Brownies can go way beyond basics

For the past two she has been creating new desserts for El Felix, King + Duke, The Optimist, JCT. Kitchen & Bar, St. Cecilia and 246.

“I’ve always loved baking. I started off making biscuits with my grandmother and graduated to making the dressing for our Thanksgiving turkey. I find that pastry-making is very precise and fits my personality. Designing desserts for our restaurants means I’m never bored. It really keeps me on my toes,” she says.

Her plans for this year’s special Valentine desserts include Vanilla Roasted Pineapple with Creme Chantilly at The Optimist, Lemon Sorbet with Prosecco at St. Cecilia, Chocolate Almond Torte at 246, and lots and lots of brownies.

At JCT. Kitchen, they’ll be offering Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies.

And at King + Duke? Passion Fruit Brownies.

Lucky for us, she’s sharing those recipes as well as a recipe for Chocolate Brownie Truffles that will change your definition of “chocolate truffle” forever.

“Who doesn’t like brownies?” asks Poulos. They’re chewy, gooey and super sweet. It’s the perfect Southern dessert and they’re really easy to make.”

When asked for her own brownie preference, Poulos confesses to liking brownies that are crisp around the edge and chewy in the center, not too dense and not too much like cake.

And she has plenty of tips for making delicious brownies at home. The key is to find a good recipe, then not over bake.

• For someone who doesn’t like chocolate, how about passion fruit brownies? They’re perfect for that someone who prefers to order a citrus dessert, lighter in flavor than chocolate, but with rich tropical fragrance and flavor.

• No matter what the flavor, bake your brownies just until the edges begin to pull away. If you bake them until a toothpick or other tester inserted into the center comes out clean, they’ll be overdone.

• Wait until the brownies are completely cool before cutting. If you can, bake them the day before and then cut after they’ve rested at least 24 hours.

• When cutting brownies, whether using a knife or shaped cutters, clean your cutter with hot water between pieces to get the best-looking results.

These brownies are not only delicious, but they really should be made ahead. Bake your pans of brownies one day, then let them cool and cut them the next. The cut brownies and truffles will still be good for another two days if you wrap them well and refrigerate. Be sure to bring to room temperature before serving or giving. And don’t forget after you cut out your brownies to use the scraps to make truffles. You won’t want to waste a single crumb.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

This recipe makes a lot of brownies and uses a lot of chocolate, so it’s worth it to use the best chocolate you can find. Poulos prefers Valrhona 64 percent dark chocolate pistoles, although she says using chips instead of pistoles is fine. These brownies freeze beautifully, so don’t be afraid to make up the whole batch.

3 1/2 cups dark chocolate (about 1 1/4 pounds)

1/2 pound unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar

9 eggs, divided

3 tablespoons red food coloring (one 1-ounce bottle)

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, divided

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup mascarpone, room temperature

Sparkling sugar, sprinkles, edible glitter, if desired, for rolling truffles

Graham cracker crumbs, for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a rimmed 12 1/2-inch-by-17-inch baking sheet. Line with parchment paper and spray again.

In a large microwave-proof bowl, melt chocolate and butter. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine cooled chocolate-butter mixture with 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until combined. With machine running, add 8 eggs, one at a time. Add food coloring and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Add flour and 1 teaspoon salt and beat until just combined. Pour two-thirds to three-quarters of batter into prepared baking sheet and spread with offset spatula to make an even layer. Move the remaining batter to a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth. Slowly add remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Then beat in remaining egg, remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread cheese mixture evenly over brownie batter in prepared baking sheet.

Drop remaining brownie batter in dollops across cheese mixture. Use a butter knife to drag the two mixtures together to create a swirl pattern. Bake 35 minutes or until brownie is just set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean. Do not overbake. Let cool completely. May be made up to 1 day ahead before cutting.

Dip a heart-shaped cutter into hot water and cut out brownies. Dip cutter into hot water between cutting each brownie for clean edges. Garnish heart-shaped brownies with graham cracker crumbs, if desired. Make truffles by rolling remaining brownie scraps into 1-inch balls and rolling in colored sugar or sprinkles. Makes: 24 2 1/2-inch hearts and 50 1-inch truffles.

Per piece: 119 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 2 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 6 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 35 milligrams cholesterol, 51 milligrams sodium.

Passion Fruit Brownies

For her restaurant version of this take on the classic blondie, Poulos uses a concentrated passion fruit puree. You can find similar products online. We tested this recipe with Sarang Tawon Passion Fruit syrup from the Buford Highway Farmers Market. Some markets that specialize in Hispanic groceries will also carry passion fruit nectar. The glaze is key for really getting that passion fruit fragrance and flavor.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 tablespoons passion fruit juice, divided

1 cup powdered sugar

Sparkling sugar, sprinkles, edible glitter, if desired, for rolling truffles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Line with parchment paper and spray again.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together condensed milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla and 4 tablespoons passion fruit nectar. Pour butter mixture into flour mixture and whisk to combine. Spread batter in prepared baking dish and bake 30 minutes or until set and top has just turned golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean. Do not overbake. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons passion fruit juice. Pour over brownies and allow to cool and set completely before cutting. May be made up to 1 day ahead before cutting.

Dip a heart-shaped cutter into hot water and cut out brownies. Dip cutter into hot water between cutting each brownie for clean edges. If desired, make truffles by rolling remaining brownie scraps into 1-inch balls and rolling in colored sugar or sprinkles. Makes: 18 2-inch hearts and 20 1-inch truffles.

Per piece: 128 calories (percent of calories from fat, 30), 2 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 4 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 28 milligrams cholesterol, 48 milligrams sodium.

Brownie Truffles

Poulos likes using dark brown sugar in this recipe for the rich molasses flavor it brings to the brownies, but says it’s ok to substitute light brown sugar if that’s what you have on hand. For the dark chocolate in this recipe, Poulos uses Valrhona 64 percent dark chocolate pistoles.

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate (about 9 ounces)

1/4 pound unsalted butter

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Sparkling sugar, sprinkles, edible glitter, if desired, for rolling truffles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8-by-8-inch square baking dish. Line with parchment paper and spray again.

In a large microwave-proof bowl, melt chocolate and butter. Whisk in cocoa.

In a medium bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Pour sugar mixture into chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Stir in flour and beat until just combined. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake, rotating pan half way through, for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Do not overbake. Let cool completely on a wire rack. May be made up to 1 day ahead before cutting.

Cut brownies into small squares and roll each square in palm of hands to make balls. Roll balls in sparkling sugar or other garnish of your choosing. Makes: 48 truffles

Per truffle: 84 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 1 gram protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 18 milligrams cholesterol, 28 milligrams sodium.