Triple Chocolate Espresso Brownies and Mystery Tools!

This weekend I was lucky enough to work for my favorite caterer, Monica Hobbs, as she catered a 40th Birthday Party!  Even luckier.....I got to bake!  I made a variety of goodies, which you will all be seeing in my postings over the week, including these brownies, raspberry crumble bars, dulce de leche cupcakes, and lemon tartlets!  All were a big hit!  

Before we go any further, we are going to play a little game!!!  Below is a picture of my favorite Christmas gift.  When I opened this I had no idea what it was but now that I have it, I use it every day.  Take a good look and see if you can figure it out!

Ok...back to brownies!  These brownies are a favorite when I bake for friends, they are super rich and chocolatey and have a subtle espresso flavor that goes perfectly with all that dark chocolate.  I love to make them because they are easy and everyone loves brownies!  The trick to making great brownies is the chocolate.  I use a mixture of unsweetened chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips and then for the chocolate treat in the middle I chop up chocolate bars and stir them into the batter.  Do not just use any old hershey bar, we are talking a quality dark chocolate candy bar, like Scharffenberger.

When you are done baking and cooling the sheet pan, place in the refrigerator for a few hours.  This makes cutting the brownies much easier as they do not have much flour in them and need to really be solid in order to cut.  After cut you can store in refrigerator or at room temperature.  I always dust mine with powdered sugar but you could leave them plain or make a chocolate ganache frosting.  Cut into small pieces because these brownies are far to rich to eat a large square.  Hope you enjoy the recipe!

  

Answer time!  Did you figure it out yet?  This tool is used for pulling out and pushing in the racks in the oven!  My youngest son made it for me in woodshop at school and wrapped it up for Christmas.  I think it is beautiful and I absolutely love it and use it every time I bake!  Luckiest Mom ever!

Recipe shared on:
Foodie Friends Friday

Triple Chocolate Espresso Brownies

1 pound butter

1 pound semisweet chocolate chips

12 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (or your favorite dark chocolate bar, chopped)

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate

6 extra-large eggs

3 tablespoons instant espresso powder

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, espresso, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the 12 ounces of chocolate in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then tap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into squares or triangles.

Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

For the best caterer with the most beautiful venue check out: http://www.nimitzmansion.com/