Death by Chocolate Brownies with Espresso

There is so much chocolate in these Death by Chocolate Brownies with Espresso that you could die. Only to be revived again by espresso. Chocolate covered espresso beans are ground up into a fine powder, used in the brownie batter, and sprinkled on top of the ice cream. [This post contains affiliate links]

Then, right before serving, hot freshly brewed espresso is poured on top of everything. You die and go to heaven and then come back again.

Here is a run down of some tips and what you should know before starting these Chocolate Brownies with Espresso:

• You MUST line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. These brownies are so gooey that even when completely cooled they are fairly hard to transfer. The parchment paper makes it so you can just lift them out of the pan once COMPLETELY cooled. Cut them into 16 squares (you can make them bigger if you want) and then store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

• 8 ounces of coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate is used but brands define semi-sweet differently. I used Scharffen Berger Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate, which has 62% cocoa solids in it. Go for what you like.
• For baking, I like to melt chocolate in the microwave in a glass bowl. But do so in 20 second intervals, stirring with a spatula between each. The chocolate is done melting when there are no more solids and it is smooth and glossy looking.
• Chocolate covered espresso beans are the special ingredient in this recipe. Measure out a 1/2 cup of them and put them in a food processor. Pulse until they are finely ground. Like this:

• This brownie recipe has two different “mixes” in it: a brownie mix and a fudge mix. Both have chocolate but the brownie mix is more like traditional batter and the fudge mix is…well it’s awesome and is kind of the “wet” part of the batter since it has melted butter in it. Towards the end you fold the two together along with 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. But you don’t fold too much. You don’t want the two mixtures to completely combine because it’s nice to come across sections of gooey fudge amid more solid brownie.
• The toothpick test doesn’t really work with these because of all the chocolate. A good indication that the brownies are done are when the edges begin to pull away from the pan.
• Again. Let cool completely.
• Once the brownies are completely cool and ready to serve, put them in bowls, top with ice cream, and pour an espresso shot (if you’re a lucky bastard and have an espresso machine) over everything. If you are a sad person, like me, with no espresso machine, brew strong coffee in a French Press.

These Chocolate Brownies with Espresso are the best brownies ever. I’m off to Reedsport, Oregon today to visit my grandparents and I’ll be making these suckers there for sure. I’m not certain I will be posting during the family vacation though so I’ll play it by ear and see what happens. Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

Death by Chocolate Brownies with Espresso

There is so much chocolate in these Death by Chocolate Brownies with Espresso you could die. Only to be revived again by espresso. Chocolate covered espresso beans are ground up into a fine powder, used in both a brownie and fudge batter, and sprinkled on top of the ice cream. Then right before serving, hot freshly brewed espresso is poured on top of everything.

Servings 16

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

Fudge Mix

• 1/2 cup finely ground chocolate covered espresso beans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 14 tablespoons butter melted (I used salted)
• 4 tablespoons boiling water

Brownie Mix

• 8 ounces coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons finely ground chocolate covered espresso beans
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Espresso without a machine

• 16 ounce French press
• 4 tablespoons freshly ground coffee grind it so it is slightly coarser than store-bought ground coffee
• 2 cups near boiling water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. I like to grease the pan first with butter so the parchment paper doesn't pop right back out.
• In a glass bowl, melt the 8 ounces coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate for the brownie mix in 20 second intervals, stirring between each with a rubber spatula until completely melted. Pour into a large mixing bowl and let cool while you prepare the fudge mix.

Fudge Mix

• Put the chocolate covered espresso beans in a food processor and pulse until they resemble a fine powder. Measure out a 1/2 cup.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the finely ground chocolate covered espresso beans, unsweetened cocoa powder, brown sugar, and powdered sugar. Beat in the melted butter until blended and then stir the boiling water into the mixture, making a smooth paste. Set aside.

Brownie Mix

• Beat the granulated and brown sugars into the melted chocolate until incorporated. Beat the eggs in one at a time on low speed. Only mix until just incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract on low speed.
• Gently fold in the flour, finely ground chocolate covered espresso beans, cocoa powder, and salt until combined. This will be very difficult because the mixture will be extremely dry. Do the best you can.
• Pour the fudge mix into the brownie mix and fold until only just barely combined (it's nice to have some streaks of fudge).
• Fold in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the parchment lined baking pan.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the edges begin to pull a little away from the pan. The toothpick test isn't very reliable because there is so much chocolate in the brownies. Let the brownies cool in the pan completely and then lift them out by pulling on the parchment paper. Cut into squares and then prepare the espresso.

Espresso without a machine

• Put the ground coffee at the bottom of the French press and pour in 2 cups near boiling water. Stir with a long spoon and then place the lid on top. Brew for 4 minutes. Slowly press the plunger down until it stops. As you let it settle, put the brownies in bowls and top with vanilla ice cream. Slowly pour the strongly brewed coffee (meant to mimic espresso shots) over the ice cream and brownies and serve.

Notes

These brownies were inspired by Caroline Barty's "Chocolate Fudge Cake" in Chocolate Galore and Sally's Baking Addiction's Chewy Fudgy Homemade Brownies.

Chocolate brands have varying definitions of what "semi-sweet chocolate" is. I used chocolate that had 62% cocoa solids in it.

These are extremely gooey brownies that melt-in-your-mouth. The only way you can pull them out of the pan is to wait for them to cool completely and solidify. But don't worry-they are still gooey after the wait and there is no need to microwave them. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Author: Megan Wells

Course: Desserts