Triple-Chocolate Espresso Brownies

These are an all time favorite and I have made this recipe for over five years again and again.  First, I am not a coffee drinker nor do I like the taste of coffee.  That being said I LOVE these brownies.  You can always control how much espresso powder to put in and the combination of chocolate and espresso is heavenly even to someone who doesn't like espresso.  The taste of espresso is a little masked by the chocolate and really helps bring out the richness of the chocolate. Also the espresso can be completely be taken out if you want (maybe just add a bit extra cocoa powder).

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated....

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

     To develop a rich, deep chocolate flavor for our fudgy brownie recipe, we ultimately found it necessary to use three types of chocolate: unsweetened chocolate laid a solid, intense foundation; semisweet chocolate provided a mellow, even, somewhat sweet flavor; and cocoa smoothed out any rough edges introduced by the unsweetened chocolate (which can contribute a sour, acrid flavor) and added complexity to what can be the bland flavor of semisweet chocolate. We focused on flour, butter, and eggs to arrive at the chewy texture we wanted in our brownie recipe. Too little flour meant the batter was goopy; too much made the brownies dry and muted the chocolate flavor. (less)

MAKES 64 ONE-INCH BROWNIES (HAHAHA, maybe 64 Bites...)

Either Dutch-processed or natural cocoa works well in this recipe. These brownies are very rich, so we prefer to cut them into small squares for serving.

INGREDIENTS

• 5ounces semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 8tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into quarters
• 3tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 1/2tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee powder
• 3large eggs
• 1 1/4cups granulated sugar (8.75 ounces)
• 2teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 1cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Fold two 12-inch pieces of foil lengthwise so that they measure 7 inches wide. Fit one sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; overhang will help in removal of baked brownies. Following illustration #1 below, fit second sheet in pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. 2. In medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa and espresso until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. 3. Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then fold in flour with spatula until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into corners, and level surface with rubber spatula; bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan using foil handles (see illustration #2, below). Cut into 1-inch squares and serve. (Do not cut brownies until ready to serve; brownies can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 5 days.)