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Posts Tagged ‘espresso’

Nutella Espresso Mousse Brownies

Posted in Bar Desserts, Desserts, tagged , , , , on April 3, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Brownies with Nutella Espresso Mousse

Brownies are so good all on their own, but top them with some Nutella espresso whipped cream and you take those brownies to a whole new level of deliciousness. Yes, these brownies are very, very good indeed. They are a great dessert to wow dinner guests, especially since they are deceptively easy to make. You can top them with chocolate curls to get extra fancy, or keep it simple with chocolate shavings like I did. Either way, you will enjoy every bite of these Nutella espresso mousse brownies. I promise.

Brownies with Nutella Espresso Mousse

Nutella Espresso Mousse Brownies

Printable Recipe

Makes 1 8-inch square pan

Ingredients:

For the brownie layer:

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ cup (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp. instant espresso powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the mousse layer:

  • 2 tsp. instant espresso powder
  • 1 tbsp. hot water
  • ¼ cup Nutella
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • Chocolate shavings, curls, or sprinkles, for serving

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish and line with parchment paper, leaving several inches of overhang on two sides. Butter the bottom and sides of the parchment.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the espresso powder until it dissolves completely, then whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Whisk in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Allow to cool completely before topping with the mousse.
  5. To make the mousse, combine the espresso powder and hot water in a small bowl. Whisk in the Nutella. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until it just forms stiff peaks. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the Nutella mixture. Spread the mousse evenly over the top of the cooled brownies. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.
  6. Using the parchment/foil handles, lift the brownies from the pan. Cut into squares and top with chocolate shavings/curls as desired. Serve immediately.

Source: very slightly adapted from Cook Like a Champion

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Espresso Toffee Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, tagged , , , , on June 7, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Are you a coffee lover? How about coffee and toffee together? Here we have a buttery cookie with plenty of espresso flavor. Bits of chocolate covered toffee add crunch and more buttery sweetness. Although these cookies are thin, they have a chewy texture, which is the perfect contrast to the crunchy toffee. I made these thinking they would be good, and they turned out even better than I expected. The only disappointing thing about these cookies is that there’s only one left in my freezer.  :(

One year ago:  Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream

Espresso Toffee Cookies

Printable Recipe

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
  • 3 chocolate covered toffee bars (such as Heath), 1.4 oz. each, chopped (approximately 1 1/4 cups)

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and instant espresso powder.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients, all at once to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined. Stop the mixer, add the chopped toffee bars, and fold together with a spatula until combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.
  3. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, place oven racks in the upper and lower middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  4. Scoop cookie dough by the heaping tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

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Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

Posted in Breakfast, Muffins, Scones, and other Pastries, tagged , , , , on April 22, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

Lately Julia and I have been sharing a banana as part of our breakfast most mornings. Until strawberries, blueberries, and other summer fruits are more reliably in season, bananas are an easy way to add some fruit into our morning meal. Since we’ve been eating so many bananas, I haven’t ended up with many over-ripe ones lately. When I saw that there were a few extra bananas ripening in our fruit bowl a few weeks ago, I made sure that no one ate them so that I could incorporate them into my baking. I wanted to try something new, and when I came across this recipe that combined bananas with espresso and chocolate chips, my choice was easy.

These muffins fill your kitchen with an amazing aroma as they bake in the oven. In addition to the obvious flavors of banana, chocolate, and coffee, the muffins have a rich brown sugar flavor that I really enjoyed. When I was melting the butter for the muffins, I forgot about it for a few minutes and it had started to boil. I’m wondering if maybe that contributed to the brown sugar flavor- browned butter/brown sugar- those flavors are similar, right? Or maybe not, but either way, these muffins are delicious. They make a great decadent breakfast treat, or a sweet afternoon snack.

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

Printable Recipe

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3-4 bananas)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray (or use paper liners).
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  3. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the wire rack. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking via Smells Like Home

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Dark Chocolate-Espresso Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, tagged , , on November 17, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Dark Chocolate-Espresso Cookies

My sister, Karen, came to visit for the day today, and since we enjoy baking together so much, we decided that we needed to try a new recipe. Last time we made Apple Hand Pies, but today we wanted to make something a little quicker and easier. These chewy chocolate cookies were the perfect choice, and satisfied our afternoon chocolate craving!

The combination of cocoa powder, melted dark chocolate, chocolate chunks, and espresso powder make these cookies ultra rich and super chocolatey. We recommend enjoying these cookies with a cold glass of milk. Dark Chocolate-Espresso Cookies would be a great addition to your holiday baking list.

Dark Chocolate-Espresso Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 4 ounces melted and 4 ounces coarsely chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350, with racks in upper and lower third positions. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in vanilla. Combine espresso powder and melted chocolate; beat into butter mixture. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in chopped chocolate.
  3. Drop dough by two heaping tablespoons, 3 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until edges are dry, 14 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. (To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.)

Recipe from Martha Stewart

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Brown Sugar and Chocolate Chip Cake with Maple-Espresso Glaze

Posted in Cakes & Cupcakes, Desserts, tagged , , , , , on October 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Brown Sugar and Chocolate Chip Cake with Maple-Espresso Glaze

Yesterday we had our first real fall weather of the season. There was a chill in the air, and it drizzled on and off throughout the day. I was so happy to enjoy some fall weather, and it put me in a baking mood. This cake reminds me of fall because of its brown sugar and maple flavors. Also, something about serving a homemade cake for dessert feels like autumn to me- comforting and warm.

The maple-espresso glaze makes this cake. It adds an extra layer of sweetness and the maple and espresso flavors are wonderful. I was hoping for a little more maple flavor in the cake itself, so next time I think I’ll increase the amount of maple extract to 1 1/2 teaspoons to see if that helps. Be careful not to over-bake the cake to help it stay moist. In the glaze, I substituted half and half for the whipping cream because that’s what I had on hand, and it worked just fine.

Brown Sugar and Chocolate Chip Cake with Maple-Espresso Glaze

12 Servings

Cake Ingredients:

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3 cups all purpose flour, divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon maple extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Glaze Ingredients:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons (or more) whipping cream or half n half
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

For the Cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan. Spray pan generously with cooking spray. Dust pan lightly with flour.
  2. Mix chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons flour in a medium bowl. Sift remaining flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt into another medium bowl.
  3. Using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and maple extract. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Mix in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chip mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan, spreading evenly.
  5. Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 45-60 minutes (be careful not to overbake). Cool cake in pan on rack for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely.

For the Glaze:

Combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons cream or half n half, and espresso powder in medium bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding more cream by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to drizzle. Spoon glaze decoratively over top of cake; let stand at room temperature until glaze hardens, about 1 hour.

Recipe slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2007

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