Intensely rich coffee brownies topped with a chocolate-coffee ganache and finished with a sprinkling of crunchy toffee bits. If you’re a fan of fudgy brownies you will love this recipe!
These Coffee Brownies represent my love for chocolate and my obsession with coffee. I mean, if I’m being honest, the two basically keep me alive and functioning most days. When we combine coffee + chocolate along with my favorite homemade brownies we have a rich, decadent, grown up dessert that will knock your socks off. Try our Brownie Bites and Brownie Pie, too!
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What makes these brownies the best
- Flavor: Coffee and chocolate in the brownies AND the ganache, along with sweet and buttery bits of toffee.
- Texture: These brownies are moist and fudgy with a hint of chewiness. The ganache topping is smooth and creamy and the toffee bits add a bit of crunch.
- Ease: The brownie batter comes together in one bowl in less than 15 minutes.
- Fudgy: If you’re a fan of fudgy brownies this recipe is for you! These brownies bake up moist and chocolaty with a rich fudgy flavor and texture. We use a similar brownie base for our Cookie Dough Brownies. Try those, too!
Recipe overview
Brownies:
Start by combining the melted butter and sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes.
Add eggs, water, and, vanilla, whisking until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients: cocoa powder, powdered sugar, flour, chocolate chips, salt, and espresso powder.
Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until glossy and well combined.
Add the batter to a lined and greased 8×8 pan and bake.
Topping:
One the stovetop or in the microwave, combine chocolate chips, cream, and espresso powder. Heat until smooth. Pour over the cooled brownies and spread into an even layer. Top with toffee bits.
What makes brownies fudgy
Several things make brownies fudgy instead of cakey. These brownies fall into the “fudgy” category, here’s why:
- Fat to flour ratio: These brownies have a high fat to flour ratio. This creates a dense, fudgy texture.
- No leavening: These brownies contain no baking soda or baking powder, which means there is little-to-no rise when they bake.
- Chocolate chips: The batter contains ¾ cup of chocolate chips. While baking, the chocolate chips melt just slightly, creating a moist, fudgy texture. Don’t skip the chocolate chips – they add a lot to this recipe.
- Chocolate-coffee ganache: This rich and creamy topping adds another layer of fudginess to the brownies. Once the ganache firms up it has a fudge-like consistency.
Ingredient spotlight: espresso powder
This recipe calls for espresso powder or instant espresso. Espresso powder/instant espresso is finely ground coffee crystals that have a strong and concentrated coffee flavor. This ingredient is sold in most well stocked grocery stores near the coffee or on the baking aisle. You can also purchase it here.
More brownie recipes
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Recipe
Toffee Coffee Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies:
- ½ cup melted unsalted butter*, still warm/hot
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder, reduce to 1T for a less strong coffee flavor
Topping:
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- ⅓ cup toffee bits, optional
Instructions
Brownies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 square pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving a couple inches of overhang on two sides (this will allow you to lift the whole tray of brownies out of the pan for easy removal). Grease the foil/parchment.
- Combine granulated sugar and hot butter in a large bowl. Stir it briefly then allow it to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. The heat from the butter will begin to dissolve the sugar (this helps make a shiny/crackly crust), the sugar will not fully dissolve. After 5 minutes, whisk the butter and sugar vigorously for 30 seconds. Add eggs, water, and vanilla extract, whisking again for about 30 seconds. Tap all the excess batter off the whisk and remove the whisk from the bowl.
- Sprinkle cocoa powder, powdered sugar, flour, chocolate chips, salt, and espresso powder over the wet ingredients. Use a rubber/silicone spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture until it is glossy and well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for for 28-33 minutes (begin checking at 28 minutes). The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without raw batter on it, moist fudgy crumbs are OK. Be careful not to over bake. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack until completely cool.
Topping:
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat (or in the microwave in 15-second increments) combine chocolate chips, cream, and espresso powder. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Immediately pour over the cooled brownies and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the toffee bits over the top. Allow to cool for several hours until the ganache firms up (you can speed this up by placing the whole pan in the fridge for 30 minutes or so).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Jenn
First off, your photos are flawless! The brownies look so perfect and chocolate-y! So excited to make them, thank you!
Renee Goerger
Heck yeah! These are like the best brownies EVER!!
Thanks for the great recipe. It’s a keeper!
Hina rizwan
Which toffee you have used?
Allison
I used Heath’s Bits-o-Brickle. Found in the baking aisle of well stocked grocery stores. 🙂
Regina
I made this recipe last night. The brownies were delicious! I went light with the espresso powder but now I wish I hadn’t because you can’t taste the espresso. Next time I make them I will put in the amount the recipe calls for.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Milkio writer
I just loved the recipe.
Allison
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
V
Next time I want homemade brownies, this will be the recipe I try. I love your small batch chocolate cupcakes and just made your chocolate chip espresso cookies recipe yesterday and they were wonderful! I’ll be making those again for sure! :d
Erin A
This is by far both mine and my husband’s favorite brownie recipe. We absolutely love these and I love how easy they are to make. I plan on making a double batch for a picnic this weekend. Thank you so much for sharing it with us! 🙂
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂