Honestly, these brownies are the result of me being clumsy. I was making brownies for Andy to take to the office and I had just seen the episode of Barefoot Contessa where she talked about simple ingredients that can be added to recipes to enhance the overall flavor of a dish. None of her test subjects could figure out what was that made the flavor different, all they knew was that it tasted better. One of the recommendations was adding a little bit of coffee to chocolate baked goods. Inspired, I decided to go all Food Network and sprinkle a bit of instant coffee into my brownie mix, but being clumsy, ended up dumping in about 1/4 cup. I did my best to scoop out the extra granules, but everything that had actually touched the batter stuck. I finally just mixed it in and baked the brownies. I warned Andy about my culinary mishap, but he took them to work anyway, and boy was I shocked when he called to tell that everyone had flipped over the amazing coffee brownies. So I guess clumsy isn’t always bad.
What you need:
1 Box of Brownie Mix( with box specified ingredients)
1 Heaping Tbsp of Instant Coffee
Directions:
- Preheat oven to the temperature listed on the box.
- Combine mix with instant coffee and other required ingredients
- Bake for the amount of time suggested on box (usually 20-25 minutes)
Box Mixes I’ve Tried:
- Gluten Free – Arthur Gluten Free Brownie Mix (cake-like brownies) or Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix (fudge-like brownies), Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix (cake-like brownies)
- Regular – Betty Crocker Triple Chunk Brownie Mix (cake-like brownies), Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (fudge-like brownies)
- Vegan – Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix (very dense cake-like brownies), Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix (fudge-like brownies) *To veganize these mixes substitute veggie spread or oil for the butter and replace egg with egg replacer, apple sauce, banana, silken tofu, etc.
Tips:
- For even distribution of coffee flavor, fully dissolve instant coffee in the liquid ingredients before mixing in.
- For brownies that have concentrated “coffee pockets” gently fold in coffee granules and bake immediately.
- If you want a strong coffee flavor add additional granules, I’ve made these brownies with up to 3 tbsp of instant coffee.
- I like to add a handful or two of chocolate chips to the brownie mix. This is especially good if you have opted for the stronger coffee flavor.
