Chocolate coffee bean brownies
Try cutting sweets in a month. Try not eating sweets for a week. Try not to picture this brownie in your mind for a day. Honestly I couldn’t, that’s why I made these brownies to satisfy my weekly requirement of sweets 
Originally the recipe is called for decorating the brownies with chocolate frosting and broken pieces of easter egg chocolate that you haven’t eaten after Easter has passed for many weeks. I like the idea, but nixed using the broken easter egg chocolate. I’ve been wanting to use the chocolate covered coffee beans that’s been sitting in my pantry and I think it’s a good idea for the decoration since the brownie dough had coffee added into it.
I think I have found another addiction… Those chocolate covered coffee beans were crunchy, they’re not too strong and they’re complemented the brownies so well. I don’t know…I was either living in the cave for not trying chocolate covered coffee beans earlier or I was just trying not to buy too much of everything whenever I’m in a grocery/food market.
White chocolate frosting substituted dark chocolate frosting. I wasn’t too happy with the consistency of my frosting, fortunately I didn’t decorate all my brownie pieces with it. Just the ones for the photo shoots. I included the recipe in my post, but don’t come back to me and say what a sorry-looking frosting you have there! 
You could easily make the regular dark/milk chocolate frosting though.
Brazil nuts replace the regular almonds or pecans in a brownie. Well, it was interesting taste with Brazil nuts I must say, but of course I like trying anything new in a recipe.
Of course this is a fun recipe to be included in The Brownie Babe of the Month, hosted by Myriam over at Once Upon A Tart.
I have to shut up and perhaps share you the recipe, eh? Here it is:
Chocolate Coffe Beans Brownies
Makes about 15 piece (2-inch square size)
Brownies:
12 ounces (about 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), broken up
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg, and 1 yolk
1 cup ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons brewed espresso or strong black coffee
1 cup Brazil nuts, thinly sliced
Frosting:
2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) white chocolate, broken up
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Chocolate covered coffee beans
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350°F. You need a baking pan 11×7 1/2 inches. Butter and flour it.
To make the brownies, melt the chocolate and butter on top of a double boiler over simmering water. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and stir to combine, then let cool slightly. Add the eggs and yolk to the chocolate mixture one by one, beating after each addition. The mixture should be very glossy. Gently fold in the ground almonds and salt, then sift over the flour and baking powder and fold in without overmixing. Stir in the coffee and fold in the Brazil nuts.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan, and bake for 20-30 minutes, until set but sligthly wet in the center. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean but with a few moist crumbs clinging. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, then let the cake cool.
To make the frosting, melt the chocolate and butter as above, then let cool to room temperature. Cut the cake into 2-inch square. Smooth 1/2 teaspoon of the icing in the center of each brownies and stick a chocolate covered coffee bean into each one. Leave for about 1 hour to set. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, then carefully remove the brownies to a plate using a butter knife.
Source: adapted from Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell
I have been procrastinating abt baking my own brownies for a while (since it is baking…I don’t bake) but you tempted me again :O
Geez…I can’t picture myself without sweets (rather… chocs) for a week…and can’t imagine without coffee for a day. And I really love chocolate covered expresso beans! Don’t you think they pair up so well
?
really? you don’t bake?
me too…i can’t live withouth sweets/desserts/cakes apparently…*sighs*
Comment by tigerfish — April 29, 2007 @ 12:15 pm
I think I would love this brownie since it has coffee! I am a coffee addict so anything with coffee can brighten my day.
I actually don’t drink coffee but I never shun adding coffee in baked goods! LOL
Comment by Anh — April 29, 2007 @ 6:00 pm
Those coffee beans really are addictive aren’t they? And combined with a chocolate brownie! Wow!
Yeah..those are addictive all right!
Comment by Freya — April 30, 2007 @ 3:57 am
I had to giggle at the part that read…trying not to buy too much of everything whenever I’m in a grocery/food market. Sounds so much like me whenever my husband and I go grocery shopping and he leaves me to my devices while running off for the tool or garden section. Everything that catches my eye gets tossed into the cart!
I agree…I feel guilty because most of our income I spend only on foods/groceries! I need to get hold of myself from time to time!
Comment by rowena — April 30, 2007 @ 9:05 am
Eliza, these are decadent! How am I supposed to lose weight visiting you? Not fair, I want to make these right now!
hey…I’ll never be on diet either…I just have to increase my metabolism ;P
Comment by Patricia Scarpin — April 30, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Hi Eliza, Found you through google image “pretty cake”, I think you’re now an everyday read. My hubby and I love to cook and I bake cakes for alot of my friends weddings and showers. I love your site
Dirkey
aww..thank you!
Comment by Dirkey — May 1, 2007 @ 5:10 am
Eliza: there is nothing, absolutely nothing I don’t love about these brownies…wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
you’re very welcome! I love seeing all the wonderful brownies at the round-up too
Comment by Helen — May 4, 2007 @ 8:24 pm
If you like the chocolate/coffee combination, you’ll probably love coffee flavored with drinking chocolate. I found a lot of info and drinking chocolate recipes at http://www.drinkingchocolates.com. Adding it to coffee or icing the combination is excellent! They even have additional flavors you can add, like raspberry or irish crème.
Comment by Anonymous — September 18, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
Since I am super huge fan of coffee, these are the very next thing I will be baking. Thanks for the recipe!
you’re welcome
Comment by Fair Trade Coffee — October 3, 2009 @ 10:44 am