These coffee-infused Espresso Brownies are fudgy, chocolatey and topped with a luscious coffee buttercream. Put your feet up and enjoy with a cuppa for the perfect afternoon treat.
Elevate your brownie game with these Espresso Brownies! They are super easy to make and are delightful for an afternoon treat. The brownies are wickedly rich with a hint of coffee, and the swirls of coffee buttercream are sprinkled with sea salt.
There are many variations of Brownies, like Peanut Butter Brownies and Brownie Blondies, but these are my favourite. The coffee is not overpowering and goes well with the chocolate, like a mocha.
If you love coffee-flavoured bakes, check out my classic Coffee & Walnut Loaf Cake, which I recently put on the blog.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Melt and mix - melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave, then stir in the rest of the ingredients.
- Quick, easy and fun to make.
- Readily available ingredients.
Ingredients
Note: I forgot the eggs in the above photo! The full ingredients and quantities are shown in the recipe card below.
Dark chocolate baking chips - found in the baking aisle at the supermarket.
Unsalted butter - unsalted butter gives you complete control of the overall flavour of your recipe, as the salt content in different butter brands can vary a lot.
Instant coffee granules - mixed with boiling water. You could use espresso as a substitute.
Caster sugar - also known as superfine sugar.
Eggs - use large eggs at room temperature.
Plain flour - also known as all-purpose flour.
Cocoa powder - use good-quality cocoa powder. Either Dutch-processed for a deep, smooth flavour or unsweetened cocoa powder if that’s what you have available.
Icing sugar - also known as confectioners sugar.
Step by Step Instructions
Note: This is a summary of the instructions. The full ingredients and instructions are shown in the recipe card below.
For the Brownies
1. Place the chocolate chips and butter in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl.
2. Microwave in 30-second bursts until melted. Stir the mixture until smooth. (This took about 2.5 minutes in my microwave).
3. Stir in the coffee flavouring, then add the sugar and eggs.
4. Mix well until combined.
5. Add the flour and cocoa powder.
6. Stir to combine.
7. Pour the batter into the tin.
8. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
For the Coffee Flavoured Buttercream
1. Whisk the butter until smooth, then gradually add the icing sugar. Adding it gradually prevents it from flying everywhere.
2. Add the coffee flavouring 1 teaspoon at a time and mix well until incorporated. Spread over the cooled brownie and sprinkle over some sea salt.
Top Tip: Leave the brownie to cool completely before adding the buttercream; otherwise, the buttercream will melt.
Variations
Nutty - add 50g of chopped walnuts.
More chocolatey - add 50g of chocolate chips.
Storage
Store the Espresso Brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze, wrap each square individually with cling film or foil (without the buttercream) and store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
FAQs & Expert Tips
Yes, but upon testing this recipe, I found that instant coffee granules gave the espresso brownies a bolder flavour.
The brownies should take approximately 35-40 minutes to cook if you like them fudgy in the middle. They will become dry and cake-like if you cook them for too long.
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📖 Recipe
Espresso Brownies
Equipment
- 20cm square baking tin
- electric whisk (for the buttercream)
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate chips, note 1
- 250 g unsalted butter, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules mixed with 1½ tablespoons boiling water, note 2
- 220 g caster sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 150 g plain flour, sifted
- 25 g cocoa powder
Coffee Buttercream
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 300 g icing sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules mixed with 1 tablespoon of boiled water, note 2
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (optional - for sprinkling over the buttercream)
Instructions
For the Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 160℃ fan and grease and line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper.
- Dissolve 1 tablespoon of instant coffee granules in 1½ tablespoons of boiling water. Mix well until dissolved and set aside to cool.
- Place the butter and chocolate chips in a large heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts until melted. Stir the mixture until smooth. (This took 2.5 mins in my microwave).
- Stir in the coffee flavouring, add the sugar and eggs, and mix well until combined.
- Add the flour and cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Pour into the baking tin.
- Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes for fudgy brownies. If you prefer more cake-like brownies, cook for a little longer. Leave the brownie to cool completely before icing.
Coffee Buttercream
- Dissolve the instant coffee granules in the boiling water and set aside to cool.
- Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy, then gradually beat in the icing sugar until light and fluffy - this stops it from flying everywhere. Beat in the coffee flavouring one teaspoon at a time until combined.
- Spread the buttercream over the cooled brownie, then sprinkle with sea salt (optional).
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