The flavor of chocolate is often brought out by coffee or espresso powder. I prefer espresso powder, if has a stronger flavor, and in brownies where I want the flavor to come out, it's perfect.
I like my brownies to be somewhere between cake-y and fudge-y. They shouldn't be straight fudge but they also shouldn't be super cake-y. These brownies end up a little more on the fudge-y side, however, they stay nice and soft for multiple days which I love.
Now to make these brownies, I found there to be a few flaws in the recipe, but that might have just been my oven or the weather where I live that affected it. So, I think this recipe just kind of depends on some factors.
Anyway, let's get to baking. To start I measured out 5.5 ounces of dark chocolate. I didn't have any regular dark chocolate chips or bars of dark chocolate so I used ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers. I measured out the chocolate on a scale and added 1 stick or 1/2 cup of butter to the mixture and melted that over a double boiler until smooth. You can also melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave if that works better for you.
Then I measured my sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla into a bowl. When the chocolate was ready, I added in my pre-measured ingredients. The batter should appear a little gritty, it's just the sugar. Don't worry about the gritty batter, once the eggs are added the mixture begins to look more smooth.
All that is left to add is flour. So, just go ahead and dump that in. And, if your like me and you choose to make this is a bowl that is a little too small, just be careful to not mix like crazy and get flour everywhere.
All that was left to do was pour the batter into a pan. I used an 8x8 and a 9x9 pan. I made two batches of these brownies and I only own 1 8x pan so the 9x9 had to be used for the second batch.
I also lined each pan with parchment paper so that the brownies would come out of the pan easier.
Now these brownies were suppose to take 20-25 minutes to cook according to the recipe. However, both of my pans of brownies took at least 15 minutes longer, and I'm not exactly sure why.
After 20-25 minutes the brownies were still completely raw. I think my 8x8 brownies ended up being in the oven for around 40 minutes or more. I'm not sure why, but that's what happened.
All that was left to do was make the frosting. Now I thought the brownies were better without the frosting, but my mom loved the frosting so it's just up to personal preference.
This frosting is really quite simple. I mixed the heavy cream and espresso powder together in a cup and added it to a mixture of butter and powdered sugar. Mixed it all together and that was it.
Add the frosting to the brownies and there you have it. Espresso brownies with espresso frosting. I love them, they were soooo good while they lasted.
The recipe is adapted from Just so Tasty. Here is the link to the original recipe: https://www.justsotasty.com/mocha-brownies-cafe-latte-frosting/.
Here is the recipe with the adjustments I made:
Ingredients For the Mocha Brownies
5.5 oz dark chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
For the Cafe Latte Buttercream
1 to 1.5 teaspoons espresso powder
2 to 3 tablespoons whipping cream
1/3 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions For the Mocha Brownies
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper so there's an overhang around the edges. Or line with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and dark chocolate.
Microwave for 45-second intervals on medium power, stirring between each interval until melted.
Whisk in the instant coffee, sugar and vanilla extract.
Whisk in the eggs 1 at a time until the mixture is glossy.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, carefully fold in the flour and salt.
Pour/spoon the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top looks set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few damp crumbs. (my brownies took a good bit longer than 20-25 minutes, so I would check to see if your brownies are done, if not leave them in until the toothpick comes out rather clean.)
Cool in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
To Make the Cafe Latte Buttercream
In a small cup dissolve the instant coffee granules in 2 tablespoons of the whipping cream. If you prefer a stronger coffee flavor, use 1.5 teaspoons of instant coffee granules.
In a large bowl using a stand or hand-held electric mixer beat the butter for about 1 minute to soften. Turn the mixer down to low speed and beat in 1.5 cups of icing sugar.
Beat in the cream. If the frosting seems too thin or not sweet enough, beat in the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar.
Remove the brownies from the pan using the overhang of the parchment paper.
Frost the brownies with the cafe latte buttercream using a flat-edge knife. Cut into 9 or 16 squares and enjoy.
I hope that you enjoy these brownies as much as I do.
Happy Baking! -Ellie