A Cherry on Top

Today as a nation we celebrate Presidents’ Day, which is basically a combined celebration of the birthdays of  George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  When I was a child Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays were separate holidays and celebrated on their actual birthdays, which  meant we had two days off of school unless, of course, one of them fell on a weekend.

Every school child knew the story of a young George Washington, who, after receiving an axe as a gift, chopped down his father’s cherry tree.  His father, shocked and disappointed inquired as to who had destroyed his favorite tree, to which a truthful young Washington replied “I can not tell a lie father, it was me.”  Now as an adult who has raised three children and has five grandchildren, this story seems a bit suspect.  I have to wonder, even way back then, what parent in his or her right mind would have given a young child an axe as a gift and not anticipated some sort of disaster.

Still today we associate cherries with George Washington.  But for most of us, birthday celebrations include chocolate in some form or another.  So in honor of our founding father and first President, we are celebrating today with a Brownie Hot Fudge Sundae and of course with a cherry on top!

Brownies
4 squares unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (350 degrees if a metal pan is used).
Heat chocolate and butter over low heat until melted.  Add sugar and stir until well blended.  Mixture will look grainy.  Add eggs and vanilla and stir well.  Stir in flour and salt until combined.  Spread in a buttered 9 x 9 inch glass baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of the baking dish and toothpick in center comes out clean.  Be careful not to over bake.  Allow to cool and cut into 9 squares or 12 smaller pieces.  Top with ice cream and Hot Fudge Sauce.

Hot Fudge Sauce
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
12 oz chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter and add sugar and cocoa.  Cook until bubbling.  Add cream and continue cooking until bubbles form on the side of the pan.  Stir in chocolate chips and cook until whole mixture bubbles.

Keep cooking for 1 minute.  Turn off heat and stir in vanilla.  Hot fudge sauce is ready to use.  If you are making this to use at a later time, reheat sauce just until it begins to bubble.  Cooking too long will cause the sauce to harden instantly when it is poured over ice cream.

Don’t forget……a cherry on top!