Mocha + Caramel Brownies
We’re freshly back from a mid-week get away to the mountains, and I just really live for a trip. Specifically a trip for just me + Jordan where there is nothing to do but have fun + be loverly, and in this case that meant spending our days on the mountain + our nights snuggled in the cutest little a-frame. Literal perfection. Made it hard to embrace going back to work on Saturday (like so hard I may have had a meltdown), but regardless the escape was a dream. Our first day out on the slopes for 2021, & my second season being an aspiring skiier. I must admit - my first season out on the slopes left a lot to be desired. Prett much every moment where I had a ski strapped to my feet also equaled a very terrified Lesley. So getting back out theree for Season 2, after almost a year break from skiing. I was pretty nervous about how this was going to go, but I wanted it to go so well! I wanted to push myself, be proud of myself out there, and I even went as far as to buy myself a baby bottle of bubbles (nothing fancy) that I was only allowed to open if I made myself proud out there on the sloipes. To me that meant not holding back, embracing the struggles, and sort of forcing myself to get down the damn hill. Truth be told, my ultimate end of season goal was to just be solid on blues. Be comfortable + capable enough to get down a blue run, because I felt like being able to do that would mean I could go on ski trips, have fun getting out on the runs, + somewhat keep up with the group instead of be the lame duck through it all. Long story short, expected day 1 to be pretty shaky, + instead it was PERFECT. I got myself reacquainted with the feeling of being on skis with just a couple runs on the bunny hill, and then faced the hill that scared the living shit out of me every time I went down it last year. I remember going down this particular “steep” + thinking nervously to myself, “you mean it gets steeper than this?” I went up the chair lift, got dropped at the top, and proceeded to head on down. And to my surprise do it without injury or hiccup. I made it down kind of flawlessly, and then proceeded to do that a half dozen more times. I felt so much more in control + had this first time feeling that I knew what I was doing, and it left me optimistic for the next two days.
So the next morning came. I went through with taking a lesson (because why not?), & I left with even more confidence to explore the mountain, and check out some new blue runs. It was so great. For the first time skiing was great + fun + fucking enjoyable. I was resilient and went through the pains + awkwardness of learning how exactly to do this, + totally embarrassed myself in front of our ski saavy friends during the process, and emerged feeling pretty confident. I not only earned those bubbles I bought on a whim, but my husband now calls me “Blue Square” as I’m pretty proficient in skiing blue squares, and that was the real highlight.
So weekend back after a triumphant ski adventure deserves dessert. This is really the first time I’ve baked in the new year, + all I can say is I’m super happy my husband ended up with this new X-Box because while he plays games, I’m free to tackle the kitchen projects that bring me such joy. In this case, brownies. Mocha + Caramel Brownies that are over the top chocolatey + gooey + fudgey. Pretty much everything I want a brownie to be. The batter is infused with coffee + coffee liqueur, as is the homemade caramel sauce, and it is just the ideal decadent treat this weekend.
Gooey chocolate perfection
If a brownie is fudgey + decadent, then I’m pretty much not interested. This little guy has a couple add-ins that make it pretty darn easy to get that texture I was going for - a chocolate spread (like a Nutella or something like it……I used the spread for Trader Joe’s) and caramel. Both are kind of sandwiched into the batter, and then come out as this really melty layer in the middle - particularly the chocolate spread. Just think of the most perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie with the chocolate pieces melted to creamy perfection - it’s the same effect here.
Also, I’ve made brownies many times, followed probably over a dozen different recipes, and my take-away is that if you aren’t actually melting chocolate to get a chocolatey brownie, it’s not worth fucking with. & if the chocolate is solely coming from unsweetened cocoa powder, not worth fucking with. Anywho, I used a cup of dark chocolate chips, since that’s what Jordan prefers, and it’s real deal chocolate that adds a real deal chocolate flavor to the brownie. Simple as that!
Coffee for a kick
It was a first for me to add coffee to brownies. Also a first for me to buy instant coffee, but hey - anything for a good bake. And a great excuse to use up some of this chocolate liqueur that I’d much rather bake with than drink. So the coffee is infused in 2 forms - instant coffee sprinkles + a coffee liqueur. The instant coffee melts right into the caramel sauce + also right into the batter (the key is to just mix in the sprinkles right after the chocolate + butter is melted, which is in the recipe). You can also skip the liqueur, but if you’ve got it, throw it in!
Don’t stray from a classic caramel
I made caramel sauce with great success by following a recipe that called for 1 c. sugar + 3 tbsp water + cream + butter, and this recipe as literally never failed me, so it’s what I used here. Except at the end, after following the process to get a smooth + perfect caramel sauce, I added in instant coffee + coffee liqueur to add a mocha component to my caramel.
Caveat: I did follow some coffee caramel sauce recipe that did not pay off. It has a cup of black coffee + brown sugar + coconut milk, and it was a big ol’ failure. Highly recommend not going that route. After ending up with something that in no way resembled a caramel sauce + the biggest mess of all time in my kitchen, I went back to my tried + true recipe that I’m saving here.
A lovely weekend treat that felt deserved, and felt like a v-special first bake of 2020. Was so delish I care packaged them up to share with neighbors, removing all temptation to polish off an entire tray of brownies this week.
For the brownies
1 c. dark choc chips (or milk chocolate or semi-sweet…..my chocolate loving husband is partial to dark)
2 sticks of butter
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp instant coffee
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp coffee liqueur
4 eggs
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. flour
pinch of salt
1/2 c. nut + chocolate spread (like Nutella)
For the caramel sauce
1 c. sugar
3 tbsp water
3/4 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp coffee liqueur (optional)
1/2 tsp instant coffee
pinch of salt (plus sea salt for sprinkling)
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment (prep to pour in the brownie batter)
Make the caramel sauce first. Place the sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat. Gently swirl the pan to mix the water + sugar, looking to see the sugar dissolve. Continue to swirl the pan to keep the mixture from burning. Watch closely. bringing the mixture to a simmer. When the mixture starts to turn amber, turn off the heat and immediately whisk in the butter + cream. Once a caramel sauce forms, whisk in the coffee, coffee liqueur, + salt. Set aside and let cool.
Move to making the brownie batter. Melt the butter + chocolate chips together in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until you have a smooth velvety mixture. Turn off the heat and mix in the instant coffee. Place the chocolate butter in a large mixing bowl with sugar, vanilla + liqueur, and stir to combine. Add in the eggs. Mix in thee cocoa powder, flour, + salt.
Pour about half of the batter in the pan, dollop with the chocolate almond butter spread, and lightly spread. Drizzle a bit more than half of the caramel on next. Finish by pouring the remaining batter over the top. Totally okay for some of the caramel + chocolate spread to be not totally covered by the brownie batter. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
Let the brownies cool in the pan for about and hour, then lift the parchment to remove the brownies from the pan. Slice the brownies into squares, than drizzle with the remaining caramel sauce