Double Chocolate Mocha Brownies

Gourmet Magazine, December 2002
Yield: Makes 32 brownies

I went to visit my parents this week. Mother asked me to make brownies for her card club. So I checked one of my favorite "go-to" websites http://www.epicurious.com/ for a good recipe. This one got very high ratings, so I gave it a try. Of course, Daddy ate quite a few before the card club ladies arrived. He gave these brownies high marks! They were chocolatey and very moist and tasted fabulous with coffee. (My husband didn't go on this trip with me and therefore didn't get a one! He pouted when I got home empty handed.) The original recipe called for a 15 x 10 x 1 pan, but Mother didn't have that size. I followed the advice of some of the reviewers and used a regular 9 x 12 inch pan and baked the brownies for just a bit longer than the original recipe read. So, I've written the recipe up how I made it with the pan that I'm sure you all have in your cabinet. Get your ingredients at Lost River Market & Deli and bake up a batch for your loved ones.

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, divided
5 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon instant-espresso powder or instant-coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9" x 12" baking pan with foil, allowing 2 inches of foil to hang over ends of pan, and grease foil well (except overhang) with 1 tablespoon butter.

Melt remaining 11 tablespoons butter with unsweetened chocolate in a large metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and whisk in sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt (mixture will be very thick and grainy), then add eggs 1 at a time, whisking after each addition until batter is smooth.
Toss together flour and chocolate chips in another bowl and add to batter, stirring until just combined.

Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and edges just begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 23 to 25 minutes (do not overbake).

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then carefully lift brownies from pan by grasping both ends of foil and transfer to rack to cool 10 minutes more. Cut into 32 squares and lift brownies off foil with a spatula.