103: Espresso Brownies

I find it very fitting that my Espresso Brownies are the final recipe that I made in April – another milestone recipe! My husband doesn’t like coffee, so I knew that I would need company to help me eat these. We had a friend come to stay with us last weekend and a crowd at a barbecue to feed, so I finally had my chance to make them! The recipe for Jamaican Coffee Brownies said I could use espresso instead of the special coffee, so that’s exactly what I did. Very finely ground espresso goes in the rich brownie batter, and brewed espresso goes in the ganache on top. I normally don’t make frosting or ganache for brownies – I believe that a good brownie doesn’t need adornment – but I did for this recipe, since the ganache would add flavor (from the brew), rather than just add sweetness and moisture as frosting generally does. As I made these, I could tell that the brownie batter would be rich and delicious on its own because of its high cocoa content. I did add the pecans because I thought that such a rich brownie might need the contrast, but I made the mistake of grinding them in my magic bullet instead of chopping them by hand, so most of the pecans disappeared into the batter. While the brownies baked, I made the ganache. I didn’t understand why I would need to simmer the espresso, so I didn’t bother with it. I’ll tell you why it should be simmered – the hot espresso on its own is not hot enough to melt all of the chocolate chips. My bowl wasn’t microwave-safe, so I had a few partially-melted chocolate chips that ended up on the brownies. I don’t think that it hurt it any. I didn’t bother with any crystallized ginger – coffee and chocolate was enough for me. Espresso Brownies These were really good. They definitely have a strong coffee flavor, so you have to love both coffee and dark chocolate to like these. These were very easy to make, if you have a coffee grinder and can make espresso/really strong coffee. The flavor is intense, so they’re not a brownie for the faint of heart! They were very moist and very rich. Our crew at the barbecue devoured them – they were much more popular than I had anticipated. I would definitely make these again if the right occasion arose. Want other espresso desserts? Try Espresso Biscotti, Espresso Granita, Chocolate Espresso Tiramisu, or Espresso-Chocolate Chip Shortbread.

📖 Recipe