Triple Espresso Brownies

Yesterday I posted about the Irish Carbomb Cupcakes I made for my husband's impromptu bake sale. Along with cupcakes, I also sent him in with the S'mores Cookies I wrote about maybe a month ago, and these Triple Espresso Brownies I found on Cookiemadness.net. Now, those cupcakes were a huge hit because of the idea of the potential buzz, but I was honestly surprised when my husband told me that these were the first thing to be sold out and demolished. Don't get me wrong, these were amazing, but I thought the cupcakes would be the winner. My husband said everyone flocked to these first and loved them, and my husband even used the term "moist," which totally blew me away. He's normally not very descriptive when it comes to me asking his opinion regarding things I make, so him saying "moist" really made me stop in my tracks.

Like I said before, these were really, really good. I couldn't find any instant espresso, so I was stuck using normal instant coffee. I'm not sure how much of an impact this had on the coffee flavor of the brownies, but I thought the brownies barely tasted like coffee or espresso. I may up the ante on the coffee granules next time just to make it more obvious what the flavor is supposed to be, but I would hold off on doing that if you are using espresso. The walnut filling was great, and the chocolate glaze on top made it look really cute (I just used a piping bag and drizzled the chocolate back and forth). Overall, these brownies were a huge success, and I will definitely be making this again and again.

Triple Espresso Brownies

Yields 24

Brownies:

1 (19.5-oz.) package Pillsbury Rich & Moist Fudge Brownie Mix

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee granules

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee granules

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

12 ounces sweet dark or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Glaze:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/8 teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules

1 to 2 teaspoons milk or whipping cream

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, combine all brownie ingredients; beat 50 strokes with spoon. Spread in greased pan. Bake at 350°F. for 28 minutes. Remove from oven.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg, 2 teaspoons coffee granules and 1 teaspoon vanilla; blend well. In medium bowl, combine walnuts and chopped chocolate. Add brown sugar mixture; blend well.

3. Spoon and carefully spread filling over baked brownies. Return to oven; continue to bake an additional 17 to 20 minutes or until light brown.

4. In small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon butter over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat. With wire whisk, stir in 1/8 teaspoon coffee granules and enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm brownies. Cool 45 minutes or until completely cooled. Cut into bars.