This post about coffee brownies is sponsored by Single Edition Media on behalf of KitchenAid. All opinions are my own.
Coffee Brownies Made with Real Coffee!
I say if you’re going to put coffee in brownies, don’t be shy about it. Don’t try to hide a bit of coffee in there to “heighten the chocolate.” Nonsense. That’s not heightening the chocolate. That’s just adding a little coffee.
Am I coming off as opinionated? Probably. But that’s OK, because this is my blog and I get to do what I like with it.
When it comes to my brownies, it’s either no coffee, or lots of coffee. And although other coffee brownie recipes may use instant coffee granules or extracts to add a coffee flavor, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to use real coffee in these coffee brownies.
The trick is to add coffee without adding too much water (too much water makes brownies cake-like). To do that, I’m going to use a method I’ve employed once before to make fresh mint infused brownies. It’s a way of infusing the butter with the flavor before incorporating the butter into the brownie batter.
As you can see, I’ve been on a real coffee kick lately. Since you’re probably going to have some coffee handy after making these brownies, you might want to check out one of the new craft coffee brewers from KitchenAid.
Personally, I’m intrigued by the KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer, which imitates the temperature and pouring methods of professional baristas.
It’s this particular model that inspired the infusion of coffee into butter in this recipe, because both require a particular time and temperature to come out just right. Here’s how KitchenAid describes this coffee brewer:
Unlike drip coffee makers that continuously flood the brew basket, the new KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer precisely heats and pulses the flow of water, steeping in the same manner as the manual pour over process, allowing the grounds to “bloom.” The result is bright, clean and full flavored coffee without diluting due to over-soaking.
That’s exactly the kind of pour I’d love to have at home: a pour that’s just like the one I’d normally have to drive to a high-end coffeeshop to get. If you combine the KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer with the KitchenAid Burr Grinder, which can grind coffee to 15 different grind sizes, you’re practically a fully equipped barista.
Now that we’re all set for coffee in every possible way, let’s make some coffee brownies!
Coffee Brownies Made with Real Coffee!
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter plus extra for the pan
- 1/2 cup ground coffee
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, then rub butter all over the inside of a 9 inch cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment. (If you don't have parchment, butter the inside of the cake pan very generously to prevent sticking.)
- In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat until it is very hot but not bubbling. Add the ground coffee, stir in, and remove from heat. Let sit for five minutes.
- Strain the butter through a very fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Press down on the butter soaked coffee to extract as much butter as possible. Once it is strained, you'll notice that the melted butter is brown and has very tiny particles of coffee in it.
- Add the sugar, vanilla, sea salt, and eggs plus yolk to the butter, then whisk thoroughly to combine. Add the cocoa powder and flour, then stir until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Let cool to room temperature on a rack, then slice and serve.
How do you like your your coffee?
Christie
December 21, 2015 at 2:06 pmI agree with you. I don’t find that a little bit of coffee adds chocolate flavor. It is all or nothing.
Katie
December 21, 2015 at 9:29 pmYay! A baker after my own heart. I’ve always been confused about recipes that add just a little coffee.
Jennifer A Stewart
December 21, 2015 at 2:37 pmYou’re right about the coffee! When it says coffee, I want to taste it! Your brownies look fudgy and gooey and love that they are in pie shapes! Now I can eat my coffee too! I’ll just eat these for breakfast:)
Katie
December 21, 2015 at 9:25 pmLOL! My 8 inch square pan finally rusted out on me and I didn’t have time to hit the store, so I thought, “Why not just use a round cake pan?” There you have it. 🙂
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer
December 21, 2015 at 4:22 pmOkay, I am not a coffee drinker but I am HUGE lover of coffee desserts! It really adds a wonderful element. For some reason I have never tried coffee in brownies but my gosh, that is going to change today! Send me some this way!! (Also, my husband has kind of turned into a coffee snob and now has to work with beans instead of that instant stuff!)
Katie
December 21, 2015 at 9:24 pmI was not a coffee drinker until just this year- so that can change over time! I don’t usually put coffee in my brownies, but this time I actually wanted to make them full on coffee flavored. They’re probably even a bit caffeinated!
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen)
December 22, 2015 at 10:08 amI admit to being one of those “sneak it in to amp up the flavor” kids, but I do it when I’m trying to get people like my mom and sister (neither of whom drink coffee–gasp!) to have it without knowing it. They’re responses of “this is so chocolatey!” are the responses I’m looking for. But I am with you on going big or going home if I’m making them for myself! I love the idea of infusing the butter with the coffee. Brilliant!
Katie
December 23, 2015 at 9:51 amThanks, Dee Dee. I got the idea originally from a blogger (Dini from The Flavor Bender) who infused basil into her butter for brownies. Since then, I’ve used it for mint brownies and coffee brownies!
Emily
December 22, 2015 at 12:29 pmWow, these brownies look so moist and amazing! Love the idea of adding real coffee!
Katie
December 23, 2015 at 9:52 amIt was a challenge, but I like to experiment in the kitchen. And since I had an extra bag of coffee lying around… I was inspired!
David Green
September 8, 2016 at 2:13 pmCoffee brownies are so very tasty! coffee and butter are best combination of taste one can ever experience!
Katie
September 8, 2016 at 8:07 pmI totally agree!
Colleen Pye
June 5, 2018 at 10:07 pmAdded some pieced of Toffee… HEALTH BAR. to be specific, and a dollop of sour cream. Some deliciousness has occurred. Paired with RED WINE… OMG
Katie Moseman
June 10, 2018 at 9:07 pmOh wow, red wine!!! I will have to try that.
Coffeeman
November 18, 2018 at 2:28 pmI work in sales that involves most of Northern California major coffee roasters where I handle distribute and sale discounted short supply coffees and I have all kinds of high end coffee in reserve now I’m so aware of my next move after trying these brownies…Thank you they’re delicious 😋
Katie Moseman
November 18, 2018 at 8:19 pmThat’s awesome! I’m a coffee fanatic who orders fresh roasted whole bean coffees from my favorite roasters every couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy!