This delectable recipe for adult brownies have a secret ingredient (and I bet not the one you think it is!). A fun dessert for the grown-ups in the room!
Okay, let me clear one thing up right this very minute. These are not called Adult Brownies for the any of the various and sundry reasons some of you might think they are, anymore than my Naked Ravioli was called Naked Ravioli for any of the various and sundry reasons folks on my Framed Cooks Facebook page thought they were.
That’s an imaginative group on that page, and I don’t know if they will be happy or deeply disappointed when I tell them the real reasons for the title of this recipe.
First of all, the recipe calls for three different kinds of chocolate. GOOD chocolate. I used Ghiradelli, because as far as I am concerned, that is as good as it gets, chocolate-wise.
But the main reason these are adult brownies is because they have a good dose of this in them.
Yep…espresso powder. The most take-no-prisoners kind of coffee there is. You can taste just a teeny hint of it in the brownies…it’s mainly there to kick the extreme chocolate up a notch…but it’s in there.
And so these brownies are not for the likes of little ones like this guy.
I adore you, mister, but you don’t need any coffee in that cute little bloodstream of yours. You already do a fair amount of this.
Imagine that with a little espresso thrown in!
Before I get there, however, just a little bit more about the brownies. First of all, these are the thick kind. You’re going to bake them in an 8×8 pan, and they are going to come out a little over an inch high.
So when it’s time to cut them, cut them small. Aim for one inch squares…a little adult brownie goes a long way.
Second, make sure you do the toothpick test before you take them out of the oven. The toothpick should be pretty much clean when you poke it into the center of the brownie.
Third, let these cool COMPLETELY before you start to cut them. It will be hard, but it’s necessary.
And fourth, don’t worry if they don’t look completely neat and perfect when you cut them.
The outside will be crackly and a little crumbly, and the inside will be almost like fudge, which can make for some messy cutting up…but I promise that once you taste these little chocolate explosions you Will Not Care.
So for us old codgers? Adult brownies!! Here’s the recipe.
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Adult Brownies
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 32 brownies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Microwave and Oven
- Cuisine: American
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This delectable recipe for adult brownies have a secret ingredient (and I bet not the one you think it is!). A fun dessert for the grown-ups in the room!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut up into cubes
- 2 four ounce bars milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 four ounce bars dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 four ounce bar bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper in a 8×12 inch rectangle. Grease it with the 2 tablespoons of butter and dust it with the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, and then fit it into an 8×8 baking pan, with the parchment extending up and over the edges. This will be the first of about 20 times you’re going to have to wash chocolate off your hands during this recipe. :)
- Put the milk and dark chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl and add the cubed butter. Microwave it at full power for 15 seconds, then take it out and stir. Repeat this five more times until the mixture is smooth. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Add both sugars and the vanilla to the chocolate and mix until combined. Add the eggs one by one, mixing after each one until they are fully combined.
- Add in the flour, the sea salt and the espresso powder. Switch to a hand mixer and beat it at medium high speed until the batter is starting to pull away from sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. Stir in the bittersweet chocolate.
- Pour the mixture into the baking pan and bake for 45 minutes Poke a toothpick into the middle after 45 minutes. If it comes out clean they are done…if not, continue baking until it comes out clean, checking at 5 minute intervals.
- Let pan cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Then remove the brownies carefully, using the edge of the parchment to lift them out, and let them cool completely on the rack. Cut into one inch squares and serve.
I LOVE you on FB already. :)
Love food. Love to read! Match made in heaven!!! :O)
i just added some Starbucks VIA packets to brownie mix and the result was really amazing too!
http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/the-brownie-mysteries/
sounds scrumptious! i already “Like” you on Facebook!
I already like you on Facebook, hope that counts. I also subscribe to the site feed. I subscribe to dozens and dozens, even get a hundred or more via Foodgawker. I subscribe for a while, then grow tired of them and unsubscribe – same on Facebook – but I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of this site.
I already like you on fb. I also get the RSS feeds. Love the recipes and humor! Thank you!
I’m not sure that I need more espresso in my blood stream either…but that’s a risk I’m willing to take for these babies!
Your brownies look dense and moist, a great combination and with a “kick” of expresso! I pinned the recipe and found you on FB! Looking forward to making them.
Love your FB page, I will pin it on Pinterest
i like you on facebook :)
I liked you in facebook and I am sure I will like this brownie too. Thanks.
i liked you on fb (although I’ve liked you in make believe blog land for quite some time now. :)
I liked your facebook page and i am seriously making those brownies..looks amazing!
I liked your FB page! :)
First, let me mention your gorgeous little boy. How do you have time and energy to do all you do?
Those brownies…I started to hyper-ventilate when I saw them. Maybe later today because I cannot wait to make them.
Your photography is great! Plus your pic when you were 3 yrs. I love red heads since I have 3 of my own.
Thank you for sharing and your perfect and humorous writing.
I have ‘Liked” you on Facebook and I think Like is an understatement.
Sincerely,
Marcia Raker
I liked you on FB!
I “Like” you on FB:)
I’m already a FB “Like”-er! Love your posts, love (and subscribe to) your blog! Thanks so much for all the wonderful “gotta try!”s… :-)
I “liked” your facebook page. Thanks for the opportunity to win!!
I already “like” you on FB.
Just put my “adult” brownies in the oven. Can’t wait to taste them!!
I pinned it! Brownies are my favorite. Brownies with espresso well that’s just double yummy!
I can almost smell these yummies already. Thanks for sharing! :)
I would like to try this at home but I am not sure which chocolate bar I should be using for these two ingredients:
>> 2 four ounce bars high quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
Should I use 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar for this?
>> 1 four ounce bar bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Should I use the 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar from Ghirardelli for this?
I pinned it! Thanks for the fantastic recipe.
I tweeted it! :) I love brownies and I’m looking forward to trying out this recipe!
I liked you on Facebook!
Yum. I just bought espresso powder and was looking to try it. Well try it I did in THIS recipe. Wonderful. Quick note on the cutting dilemma. I used parchment paper in the pan to create slings for easy removal, then I cut it with dental floss like you do a cheesecake. It cut clean with no sticky mess. Not that it mattered when my family got to them! :)
★★★★★
Sandi! Thank you so much for these super handy cutting tips – and glad you liked them! :) :)