I almost didn't get to eat these brownies. Mr. E requested some brownies to take to work and it wasn't until I was taking them out of the pan that I realized that they wouldn't all fit on the tray. Hallelujah!
{I promise I didn't pick the smallest tray I could find.}
Mocha. Ah, mocha. My introduction to mocha started early in life. My mom always ordered Jamocha (what exactly is JAmocha?) Almond Fudge at Baskin-Robbins and my Nana was a big fan of the Jamocha shake at Arby's. (Again with the Jamocha...is that mocha you eat in Jamaica? So exotic!)
Anyhoo...when I worked at the mall in my 20s, I'd get an iced mocha every morning before the store opened. Every. Day. In Decorating Cookies Party, there's a recipe for Mocha Cut-Out cookies. You get it. I love me some mocha.
Well, here they are. Mocha Toffee Brownies. The brownies are as they should be: thick and fudgey. They're frosted with a mocha ganache and then sprinkled with toffee bits. Good stuff.
{makes one 9x13" pan}
for the brownies:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 TBSP espresso powder
3 eggs
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
for the frosting:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
toffee bits for sprinkling
Grease a 9x13" pan. Preheat oven to 325.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, stir in the sugars. Stir and heat until the sugar is hot, but not boiling, just another couple of minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Combine the vanilla and espresso powder, then add to the batter. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until done. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Make the frosting: In a small saucepan, stir the cream and espresso powder together. Heat the cream to a bare simmer. Place the chocolate chips in a bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Stir with a silicone spatula until the chocolate is melted and the gananche is thoroughly mixed. Let the ganache set up, stirring occasionally, until it is thick and spreadable. Use an offset spatula to spread over the cooled brownies. Top with the toffee bits.
Place the brownies in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for the frosting to set.
*recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
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