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Author:
Franco Salzillo
What’s the deal with brownies? How can a small, spongy square of chocolate be so decadently delicious? Brownies are crumbly and fudgy, buttery and addictively sweet; they’re hands down the single most attractive bake.
To improve something like a brownie is messing with a classic. It’s hard to improve something that’s already perfect. Here’s where coffee comes in — coffee and chocolate are perfect partners!
Coffee will add a delicious bitterness to every brownie bite and the loveliest coffee scents. It will also infuse the baking treats with some caffeine, which is always appreciated. The result is fantastic — coffee brownies are brownies perfected.
All brownies start with a glossy mixture of oil, sugar and eggs. This is also the perfect moment to add a few drops of vanilla extract to round up the brownies’ personality.
You also have a few dry ingredients, mainly flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, a pinch of salt, and today’s secret ingredient — instant coffee, three entire tablespoons of the delicious powder.
When choosing instant coffee, make sure you use a high-quality one, often labeled as instant espresso or freeze-dried espresso. You want the good stuff, or the brownies won’t be as intense as you want them to be.
As for utensils and equipment, you’ll need two mixing bowls and optionally a stand mixer. Combining the ingredients is easy, so you can also use an electric hand mixer or, as a last resort, a regular hand whip or spatula. The good news is that there’s no egg-whipping in this recipe, so basically, you just want to combine everything nicely, and you’re done.
Make sure you use the standard 9-inch square baking pan. The most used item in brownie-making. It guarantees the brownies are not too thick; you want them compact and fudgy.
Now we’re ready to make a batch of coffee brownies. Remember to keep these away from the kids and make yourself a tall glass of latte or mocha to go with them!
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a square 9-inch baking pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Combine thoroughly.
In a second bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, instant coffee, baking powder and salt.
Incorporate the dry ingredient mixture into the oil mixture slowly while whisking to form the brownie batter.
Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
