CUP OF COFFEE BROWNIES

Coffee plus chocolate is a mixed bag for me. Take away the sugar and cream, and they actually have a similar flavor profile: rich, dark, slightly bitter. If either flavor is slightly off, usually due to crappy coffee or waxy, sugary chocolate, they start competing for the spotlight like a group of squealing bridesmaids grasping for the bouquet. Did I mention I'm a bridesmaid and will most definitely be throwing elbows for the bouquet? I promise this will lead back to brownies. My dear friend Andreanna is getting married, and she and her fiance Eric are huge coffee plus chocolate fans. I think Andreanna's the coffee and Eric's the chocolate. She's energetic, determined, cerebral as all get out, and usually served hot. Eric is sweet, mellow, and smoooooooth. Ok, they actually are a mix of both, but for the sake of argument let's stick with this metaphor I've got going. Anyway, for their favors they'll be giving away these dark chocolate coffee brownies I've been working on for them, and I must say, they are in perfect harmony. The coffee floats around in the background, bringing a new level of darkness to the chocolate. It's rich, intense, and one damn sexy brownie. I'll definitely be baking a few extra for them to take on their honeymoon. Enjoy!

Note: To get the cute fork pattern, simple arrange forks along the edge of the baking sheet and dust powdered sugar over. It works just as well with spoons, forks, keys, whatever you want to get creative with. Go crazy!

Ingredients:

3 ½ oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa and up)

2 tablespoons instant espresso

8 tablespoons of butter
4 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, loose, not packed

1 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)

2 teaspoons coffee extract

2 tablespoons Kahlua
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
Melt the chocolate, instant espresso and butter in a bowl over boiling water, then let cool. Beat together the eggs and sugar, then pour in the cooled chocolate. Continue beating while adding flour, vanilla, coffee extract, and Kahlua. Do not over mix. Fold in the chips. Pour into a buttered and floured 9 x 13 pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. When cool, dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!