Espresso Bean Brownies

Do you know the feeling you get when you have a little too much coffee on an empty stomach? Like a whole hive of bees buzzing around in your head.

No!? Is that just me?

Too much coffee leaves me with an inability to concentrate and causes my mind to race. I get distracted easily and find it nearly impossible to listen attentively to anyone. These types of things also tend to happen when I get anxious – so you may understand why I don’t drink coffee often – and apparently caffeine can increase anxiety as well! But I oh so love the flavor of espresso especially when it is baked into things or put into ice cream. Chocolate + Espresso = Absolute deliciousness!

Did I just put espresso powder in a cup of melted butter? Yep (and I am getting a little creative with the picture editing, too). Well I better get acquainted with some tips to help reduce my anxiety.

I am fairly good at being able to point out my anxiety and panic attack triggers. If you aren’t quite sure what your triggers are make a timeline or write in a journal when you had these symptoms and think back on what preceded these things. When your anxiety is triggered some helpful tips are listed on this website and it there are also a whole host of other helpful things.

Now back to these brownies.

The batter had an intense chocolate flavor with a slight coffee flavor.

And then I added these to the batter. Poured the batter in the pan and waited (and waited). Pulled them out of the oven and burned my tongue on some hot crumbs that may have fallen off with a little help from me. Then I waited some more for them to cool.

Finally they were ready and I eagerly cut them. These little guys have such an intense chocolate flavor and subtle hint of espresso. They are extremely fudgy with a crunchy surprise of espresso bean chunks.

Espresso Bean Brownies

Yields 16 brownies

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces butter, melted

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dark chocolate covered espresso beans, coarsely chopped (I used the kind in the bulk section at Whole Foods)

To make the brownies:

Preheat the oven to 300F. Spray an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.

Beat the eggs in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy and a pale yellow color. In a medium sized bowl combine the sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Combine with a whisk until thoroughly distributed and lump free. Add the espresso powder to the melted butter and stir well. Add the flour/sugar mixture to the eggs and mix on low speed until combined. Pour butter mixture and vanilla into the mixing bowl. Add the espresso beans to batter and stir until beans are evenly distributed.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for one hour or until brownies are at preferred doneness (I like mine quite fudgy so if you like them done more bake accordingly). Let cool in pan for a few minutes and then pull the brownies to cool completely on a rack.