In the culinary world, it is no secret that coffee and cocoa are a match made in heaven. Cocoa enhances the flavor and aroma of coffee and vice versa.

 

In fact, cocoa in its natural form contains caffeine. The two of them are more closely related than most people realize. The two also have to be roasted before consuming them.

 

If there’s one dessert made using cocoa that everyone likes, that’s brownies. The most classic of brownies are already incredibly delicious and hard to improve upon. Until you start thinking about the possibilities: using coffee to enhance the already delicious flavor and fragrance of brownies.

 

They’re called “espresso brownies”, and they’re becoming popular at a fast pace. And it’s easy to see why: it takes two things that people already love -brownies and espresso- and combines them to create the ultimate dessert.

How to make Espresso Brownies

 

Ingredients:

• One shot of espresso (30ml) (Or substitute with 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• Chocolate chips as desired (we used ½ cup)
• ¾ cups whole wheat flour (or substitute white wheat flour)
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup brown or muscovado sugar + ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A dash of sea salt

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix gently.
3. In a saucepan, pour espresso and heat for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add butter and stir. When the butter is almost fully melted, add chocolate chips and stir until melted.
5. Mix in the rest of the ingredients: sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Keep stirring until it all seems well and thoroughly mixed together.
6. Transfer wet mix to a big bowl.
7. Add dry ingredients while stirring together. Go slowly if you need to. Use a spatula to slowly but surely mix them all together.
8. Transfer to a cake mould. Sprinkle some chocolate chips on top and bake for 30 minutes.
9. Remember to let cool before eating!

 

Most recipes call for instant espresso powder, which is also fine to use. We went for actual espresso because it has a much more strong flavor that is way more enjoyable. Instant coffee, even if it’s “premium espresso”, is never as good as the real thing.

 

We totally encourage playing around with the recipe. After all, brownie recipes vary a lot and you can tweak little things to make them the way you like ‘em. Different people, different brownies. The key ingredient, however, is the espresso!

 

It’s important that you use espressoand not simply brewed coffee. Regular coffee is not nearly as strong and would water down the recipe too much. Espresso is concentrated and has more flavor per volume than other types of coffee, which is why it's used instead of other types of coffee.

 

You can also use one of our flavored coffees to make the espresso to add an extra layer of flavor to this already delicious dessert. Hazelnut-flavored espresso brownies? Yes, please!