Confessions of a Chocoholic

While I try to be an equal opportunity baker, I must confess that my ideal late night indulgence includes some combination of chocolate and coffee and my favorite brownies hit the spot every time.

These brownies are rich and decadent, with a fudgy interior and a cake-like crust. When I really want to be decadent, I brush the top of the brownie with a little bit of Kahlua and top with (my favorite) Starbucks Java Chip ice cream.

Best of all, these brownies are easy to make-you can mix all of the ingredients by hand in the top of a double boiler.

Decadent Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into large pieces

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup toasted walnuts

3/4 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on all side.

2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, then add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, espresso powder, salt, and walnuts. Fold in the flour until well combined.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan for about 10 minutes. Lift brownies from pan using parchment paper and transfer to wire rack to cool completely before cutting. Brownies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.

A Friends-tastic Muffin

During my college years, my friend Valerie and I would get together every Thursday night for a sushi dinner and to watch Friends and ER. Inevitably we’d become hungry sometime between the two shows and, more often than not, would make banana chocolate chip muffins to tide us over during our favorite ‘90s television lineup. 

Over the years I’ve made dozens of variations of those muffins. Last year, after adding some espresso powder to the mix, I finally feel the recipe is perfect-neither too sweet nor too dense and the espresso adds a subtle touch of complexity.  

Banana Chocolate Chip Espresso Muffins

Yield: 12 standard size muffins

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or grease a standard size muffin tin.

In a small bowl or ramekin, dissolve the espresso powder in the milk and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

In a medium bowl, mix the mashed bananas, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, melted butter, and espresso mixture. Add the banana mixture and chocolate chips to flour mixture and mix together until just combined. The batter will be stiff. 

Fill muffin liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 23-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (I also check the crack in the muffin top to make sure it isn’t undercooked).

Jude Law's Cupcakes

“I defy anyone to find a better cupcake”-Jude Law

While Jude Law doesn’t look like he eats many cupcakes from Primrose Bakery, I decided to check out their cookbook from my local library. Last night I made their coffee cupcakes and coffee buttercream frosting (with a few small changes) for my friend’s birthday. Hopefully she doesn’t read my blog until after I surprise her tonight!  

Coffee Cupcakes

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup self-rising flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin pan or three 12-cup mini muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer to cream the butter and sugars until smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for a couple of minutes after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift the flours together.  In a third bowl, whisk the vanilla extract, espresso powder, and milk.  Add one-third of the flour to the sugar mixture and beat well.  Pour in one-third of the milk and beat again. Repeat until all the flour and milk have been added.  

Use a large ice cream scoop to fill the cups 2/3 full.  Bake standard size cupcakes for 22-25 minutes or mini-cupcakes for about 15 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.  

Remove from the oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes before placing on wire rack to finish cooling.

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost with coffee buttercream and decorate with sprinkles or chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, dissolved in a small  
   amount of hot water, cooled

2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, milk, espresso mixture, and half the confectioners’ sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes using a handheld mixer. Gradually add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy.