Hellobee

Mr. O and I love to entertain. We’re not fancy about it; I don’t have pretty placemats, or even cups that match, but we love to cook for people. Typically, Mr. O takes care of dinner and I handle dessert…with the caveat that we never make the same thing twice.  Though I have several recipes for brownies that I love (chewy brownies, fudgy brownies, brownies full of peanut butter), I found myself reaching for a new recipe the last time we had a group over. I was craving chocolatey fudge, but needed something a little more ‘adult’…wouldn’t coffee be a perfect addition? After some experimenting, cobbling together a few different recipes (and reading up on some of my favourite Food Network chefs), I came up with these. Rich, chewy, and topped with a thick layer of coffee-flavoured frosting; they were an instant hit (and now a permanent fixture in my brownie rotation).

For the brownies:
3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
1 cup butter
5 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup strong coffee, cooled

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in brown sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in cocoa powder, flour and baking soda. In a measuring cup, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Add to butter mixture, stirring well until thoroughly combined. Mix in chocolate chips, and pour into a greased, lined 9×13 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

While the brownies are cooling, put softened butter in the bowl of a mixer. Add icing sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add coffee, then whip until frosting is light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Spread a thick layer of frosting on the brownies, cut into squares and serve.