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Send the kiddos back to school with one of these deluxe brownies in their lunchbox!
Sensational Brownies
I’ve made many a brownie in my day, but these are the best I’ve ever made. Up to now, nothing beat the old one-bowl brownies from Bakers, but these sure surpassed those!
These have a great texture. It’s somewhere between a fudgy chewy brownie and a cake-like one.
The addition of one ingredient adds a special flavor–one you can’t quite put your finger on, but it makes them as decadent as can be. Of course if you’re making them for young children, I’d leave it out–and it can be omitted if you either don’t have it or it’s substitute (which is a common pantry item).
Espresso Powder
This is that special ingredient I spoke of before.
This is actually a common ingredient in a lot of baking recipes. Most times it’s used to enhance a flavor–especially chocolate. I’ve often substituted instant coffee (the powdery kind, not the freeze dried) because it works pretty well and moreover, I found the price of baking espresso powder outrageously expensive.
I did break down and buy some because I found it at a very good price. This particular brand of espresso powder came in a bulk size, but you can always use it to make yourself a cup of espresso and guess what? It ain’t bad either for instant!
Toasting Makes A Difference
These brownies contain the usual nuts–which can, of course, be left out if you have allergies.
The big difference here is you toast the nuts before adding them to the batter. You won’t believe how much better the flavor is when you take this extra step.
This can always be done in advance of baking. That’s the best idea because you have to wait for them to cool completely before adding them. Just make sure you don’t eat them all before you need them!!!
The Recipe
Deluxe Brownies
Ingredients
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 8 tbs unsalted butter cubed
- 1 tbs espresso powder
- 2 tbs unsweetened cocoa
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts see NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Coat an 8-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- Melt the chocolate, butter, cocoa and espresso powder, either in a microwave or over low heat in a saucepan. In a microwave, do it on high for about 30 seconds each time then stir. When the chocolate is nearly all melted, stop and keep stirring until it’s smooth.
- Stir in the sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.
- Fold in the flour and walnuts. Spread batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; about 30 minutes.
- Cool completely then cut into squares.
Notes
Nutrition
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