Serves a Crowd

Chocolate & Coffee Brownies

by:
April 18, 2011
0
0 Ratings
Chocolate & Coffee Brownies
  • Serves 12
Author Notes

I am a baker's daughter. This means that I grew up walking in to a home that smelled like fresh, warm, homemade bread. It also means that I had (quite literally) never heard of brownies from a box until I was a sophomore in High School. My mother, a baker and a chocolate lover, has never made brownies in anyway but the best way. In one pan, from a base of melted chocolate. This year, she perfected her recipe--which she calls "Classic Chocolate Brownies." I think you will agree, however, these are so much MORE than classic chocolate brownies. There's a nice kick of Kahlua liqueur that makes these just-the-right-amount-of ooey-gooey. And the instant espresso brings out different, deeper notes in the chocolate, as coffee always does to chocolate.

—Alexandra Rogers

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 ounces Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate baking bar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/8 teaspoon Medaglia D'oro Instant Espresso Coffee
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon Kahlua liqueur
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup flour, plus extra for dusting the pan
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/3 cup Hersey's Special Dark chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted
  • Confectioners' Sugar for dusting (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour an 8"x8" square or 9" round pan.
  2. Sift or whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne together in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and instant espresso, and in another (much smaller) bowl, combine the vanilla and Kahlua. Set these aside, too.
  4. Bring your eggs to room temperature by gently submerging them in a glass of warm (not hot) water.
  5. Is that your oven, all preheated and ready to go? Well, then, put 1/3 c. chopped walnuts or pecans on a cookie sheet (with edges) and toast for 10 minutes--be sure to turn the nuts at least once during this time. And, be quite careful not to burn them (if you can smell them, it is probable that they are done.)
  6. Alright, now you're ready to go. Break up the Ghiradelli chocolate bar, and the cut up cold butter and place in a medium saucepan (or pot), over low heat. Use a whisk to create a smooth mixture of the two, as they melt. Once the mixture is smooth, take it off the heat and walk away for 5-10 minutes and allow it to cool. It doesn't need to be room temperature, but it needs to be cool enough so that it doesn't cook the eggs you're about to add.
  7. When the chocolate and butter mixture has cooled: Stir in brown sugar mixture and the Kahlua and vanilla. Add eggs (now room temperature), mixing well. Slowly fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture, until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Stir in chips and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees, until the tester comes out with just a little bit of dough (almost clean) When the brownies reach room temperature (or, you know, almost room temperature) lightly dust with sifted confectioners' sugar. You should have about 12 brownies.
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6 Reviews

Texan007
Texan007 February 6, 2012
I'm using my IPad to type this so forgive how that last message turned out.
 
Texan007
Texan007 February 6, 2012
I especially like the fact that you give explanations of some things in your recipes. Most
recipes expect readers to know every cause and affect thing. And there are a lot of first
cooks that try their hands at putting something together. Like when you explained
the reason why the melted choc mixture needs to be cool before the eggs are added.
The fact that the eggs do not need to cook but they will if mixture is still hot or warm.
I can't tell you how many times that I have followed a recipe only to throw it out,
all because I didn't have as much knowledge as the writer, and if they had taken that into
consideration, and included little tips in their piece, I would have been a happier
student. So kuddos on that!!!
And in my next attempt at this one, I'm not going to add as much whole wheat flour as I did
with this first time. I do not want to add any regular flour but I do not know what to increase
or what I need to change in the recipe in order for it to make it turn out as the choc, chewy and healthier brownies that I want them to. I'm using organic eggs, unsalted butter, organic sugar, org whole
wheat flour, etc.
 
Texan007
Texan007 February 5, 2012
I just realized that in your recipe you don't state when to add the Kahula and Vanilla portion. I looked over every word 3 times at least, in case i had missed it. I guessed and added it to the choc & butter mix after that had melted. I love everything else about the recipe.
 
Alexandra R.
Alexandra R. February 5, 2012
Thanks so much for pointing that out! I've fixed it now--you guessed right, you add it with the brown sugar mixture, into the melted chocolate and butter! Thanks for catching that and I hope you enjoy the brownies as much as I do.
 
aargersi
aargersi April 18, 2011
Not much better'n a good brownie - yum! I will definitely be trying this out!
 
Sadassa_Ulna
Sadassa_Ulna April 18, 2011
yum!