It had been such a long time since I made them. And since we've been drinking filter coffee mostly there was this pile of truly delicious super strong 100% (absolutely no chicory) instant coffee powder sitting around barely used. I just had to make some right away!
Espresso Brownies
Adapted from Jannequin Bennet's Very Vegetarian.
1/2 C very hot espresso or strong coffee (I mixed 2 heaping T of instant Nescafe 100% coffee powder in 1/2 C hot water)
1/3 C cocoa (the Cadbury's baking cocoa powder has a bit of something mmmmm to its flavor)
3/4 C sugar (original recipe calls for 1 C but the slight reduction in quantity of sugar brings out the mocha nuances better)
1 t vanilla extract (use pure extract and not essence if possible)
1/3 C coconut oil (it adds a mild, delicious flavor and goes really well with the coffee and cocoa combination).
1 1/4 C All Purpose Flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
Grease an 8 inch square baking pan
Seive together flour, baking powder and salt.
Put the coffee, cocoa powder and sugar in a blender (with the whisking blade attachment) and blend thoroughly. Add vanilla and coconut oil and blend again. (Everything can be whisked together with a spoon but I use a blender since it adds more air bubbles to the liquid which gives the brownies a better crumb).
Mix together the wet and dry ingredients in a bowl and stir quickly until just blended. Do not stir too much as over mixing will toughen the brownies. The way you mix decides the outcome so this is a very important step!
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 minutes. And while it bakes, enjoy licking the remaining batter off the mixing bowl (it tastes a bit like Koffee Bite) :)
Let the brownies cool to room temperature before cutting. The way these smell, you'll want to dig into them right out of the oven but please be patient because cutting into the brownies while they're hot will spoil them.
These are really quick and easy to make and depending on how strong the coffee is they pack a lot of kick.
I usually don't like chocolate very much, but these sound GREAT (I love coffee!)
ReplyDeleteThe coffee goes really well with the chocolate but if you don't like cocoa much, you could try a different combination... or even make a pure coffee brownie. Mmmm that would be yum!! Ok that's what I'll be making next time around! LOL
ReplyDeleteOMG COFFEE!!
ReplyDelete*explode*
I love anything coffee, including those hand made coffee bean beads you make :D
Ooooh those look so yummy! Always looking for a better brownie recipe.
ReplyDeletemmm, I love coffee and chocolate... and vegan brownies! yum! ;0)
ReplyDeleteMmmmm..... sounds delish. I don't drink coffee, but I do love the coffee flavor in chocolate brownies and cakes, etc. Yum!
ReplyDeleteGonna have to try this one ASAP :)
Nath, even I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I love the smell and the coffee flavored desserts! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you get to try it out soon. Enjoy! :)
Thanks for this fantastic recipe! Baking this at the moment and the kitchens smells divine ^^
ReplyDeleteHow did it turn out? :)
ReplyDeleteThey turned out fantastic! Everyone (vegan and non-vegan alike) loved it.. that's why I'm doubling the recipe and baking some more now ;) I only had olive oil in the house, so used the equivalent of melted margarine, it worked out fine :) May add walnuts and chocolate chips next time.. yum!
ReplyDeleteOhh walnuts would be fabulous in these! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad they turned out great and everyone loved them. :) I highly recommend that book for all kinds of great Vegan recipes and many photographs to inspire. :)
I finally tried this! I agree that the coconut oil adds a nice smell and flavour. But mine came out very dry... not super moist like the ones we had at the Butterfly Park. Should I add more coffee or more oil to make them more moist?
ReplyDeleteIsa the butterfly park brownies were a flop remember? :oP They're not supposed to be so moist.
ReplyDeleteThey're not supposed to be too dry either. They should be slightly moist and crumbly with a crispy brownie style crust.
Did you mix the sugar into the liquid ingredients as the recipe asks? I've seen that when the sugar isn't mixed into the liquid, the brownie gets too hard.
Another thing is if the batter is over mixed that could toughen the brownies. You should mix just until the liquid and the dry stuff mixes a bit.
I started by mixing the sugar with the cocoa and coffee like the recipe says... I'll try again until I manage something between too dry and butterfly flop!
ReplyDelete