Saturday, May 22, 2010

Coffee Toffee Brownies


Brownies:
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 gently heaped cup (6 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 c cocoa
1 tbls. espresso powder (or instant coffee crystals)
1 tbls. vanilla
2 c sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c all-purpose flour

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, melt together the butter and chocolate, stirring till smooth. Stir in the cocoa, espresso powder, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Whisk in the eggs one at a time.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder and flour, then stir these dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 34-38 minutes, until their top is shiny but the middle is still soft. Remove them from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before icing.

Icing & Topping:
1 tbls. espresso powder (or instant coffee crystals)
1 tbls. hot water
1 1/2 c confectioners' sugar
2-3 tbls. heavy cream or milk
1/2 c toffee-flavored bits

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the espresso powder and hot water, then stir in the sugar and heavy cream or milk. Spread the icing over the brownies, then sprinkle with the toffee bits (crushed, if you like). Cool the brownies for several hours before cutting into squares. Yield: 24 brownies.

Source: King Arthur Flour Catalog

2 comments:

Margaret Mary said...

I added more powdered sugar to the icing to be able to pipe it onto the brownies like that. The original icing spreads well, but it would all just run together if piped.

Jenni said...

Use less liquid--maybe teaspoons instead of tablespoons.