Crunchy Salty Sweet

Can I just say how excited I am that the Super Bowl is next weekend?! I’ve been doing a lot of ‘research‘ so I can come up with the perfect menu. There are a couple key properties the menu has to have:

• A good blend of cold / room temperature / hot appetizers
• Meat-full and meat-free
• Variety of savory vs sweet options
• Something with a little caffeine kick (because hello, after drinking most of the day, I need all the help I can get to make it through the game)

In the past, I may have just grabbed some Coke or Mountain Dew and called it a day, but I thought about how I could incorporate caffeine into a dessert.

I typically like to add espresso powder to chocolate cakes/sweets since it enhances the flavor so much, so I added a little extra to these brownies and loved the resulting mocha flavor.

Preheat the oven to 325.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, mix together the chocolate and butter until both are melted together.

Mix in the cocoa powder.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl, and let sit until it cools a bit. (I also wanted an excuse to use my new bowls, courtesy of Andrew’s sister!!! #obsessed)

Stir in the espresso powder.

You can modify the amount of espresso to your liking, ranging between 1/2 teaspoon-1 1/2 teaspoons.  I went for the full 1 1/2 teaspoons and they were definitely mocha-y…but if you just want to enhance the chocolate flavor without much mocha, go for about 1/2 teaspoon.

Mix in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time until fully combined, and then the vanilla.

Whisk in the flour and salt. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a foil-lined (or buttered) 8×8 baking dish. I also added some clear sprinkles on top, since you know I’m all about the crunch!

Drop the pan onto the counter a few times to get any bubbles out.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until set.

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Adapted (kind of) from: Cravings of a Lunatic

Makes: 9 brownies

Prep: 5 minutes, Cook: 35 minutes, Total: 40 minutes

• 8 tablespoons butter
• 2 oz dark chocolate (I used 72% cacao)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2-1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder (more or less to taste)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, mix together the chocolate and butter until both are melted together.

Mix in the cocoa powder.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl, and let sit until it cools a bit.

Add the espresso powder. You can modify the amount of espresso to your liking, ranging between 1/2 teaspoon-1 1/2 teaspoons.  I went for the full 1 1/2 teaspoons and they were definitely mocha-y…but if you just want to enhance the chocolate flavor without much mocha, go for about 1/2 teaspoon.

Mix in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time until fully combined, and then the vanilla.

Whisk in the flour and salt. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a foil-lined (or buttered) 8×8 baking dish.

Drop the pan onto the counter a few times to get any bubbles out.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until set.