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!
2tablespoonsespresso powderreduce to 1T for a less strong coffee flavor
Topping:
¾cupchocolate chips
¼cupheavy cream
1teaspoonespresso powder
⅓cuptoffee bitsoptional
Instructions
Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 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
Bake time: Since ovens vary, and different bakeware can affect the cook time (metal pans cook faster than glass, for instance), it's important to keep a close eye on these as you approach the end of the baking time. When you insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out without raw batter on it (fudgy crumbs are OK). You might need to do the toothpick check in a few different places because you could hit a melted chocolate chip. If the brownies are not quite done, set a timer and check them every 3 minutes until they are.Chocolate chips: You can use milk, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate chips for the brownies and ganache. Milk chocolate will create a sweeter brownie while bittersweet will have a more noticeable deep coffee/chocolate flavor. Semisweet is the perfect balance of both!