Italian Espresso Brownies

“Anyone who tries to make brownies without butter should be arrested.” -Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

Practical Magic is one of my all-time favorite movies. Have you seen it? It’s a charming story about finding the magic in yourself and your everyday life. What appeals to me most is the care-free way they live. It’s not your typical household full of silly rules and keeping up appearances. Midnight margarita parties, dancing under the full moon, magic at every turn, and the best part: chocolate for breakfast! But like real life it isn’t all hunky dorey. The women in the family are cursed, for them to find true-love also means certain death for the man. I won’t give away the ending! If you haven’t seen it than go rent it, it’s a must-see!

Aunt Jet: I think a brownie for breakfast would fix you right up.
Gillian: (Delighted) A brownie?
Aunt Jet: A brownie.

For Tyler Florence Fridays (TFF) this week I wanted to make Tyler’s Amaretto Chocolate Brownies but there was no Amaretto to be found in the cupboard. I swapped out the Amaretto for Espresso and added walnuts. For me walnuts in Brownies are an absolute must. The Espresso is not real pronounced in flavor but enhances the chocolate dramatically giving it a deeper and richer taste.

These are extremely fudgy, dense and will satisfy any severe chocolate craving. I have to give a huge, sweet thank-you to the awesome foodies Natashya, Debbie and Megan who run TFF for gifting me with Tyler’s Stirring the Pot cookbook. It’s a gorgeous book full of comfort food recipes with photos of each dish. I love cookbooks with great photos. Thanks a million! To come join in the fun of TFF or to view the round-up follow this link.

Italian Espresso Chocolate Brownies
(Adapted from Tyler Florence
Stirring the Pot page 200)

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoon Instant Italian Espresso dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water or 2 tablespoons Amaretto
1 and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a 9 by 9 square baking pan with parchment paper, making sure paper hangs over the edges. Grease paper with butter so the brownies don’t stick. Melt butter and chocolate over a double-boiler and stir gently until smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl and set aside. Whisk together eggs, sugar and Espresso in a mixing bowl until combined. Pour in chocolate mixture and continue to whisk until combined. Gradually add flour mixture, then add walnuts and incorporate with a wooden spoon. Transfer batter to baking pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the pan. When done, invert onto a cutting board, remove paper and cut into squares. Garnish with Cocoa Whipped Cream.

Cocoa Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Using the whisk attachment on a kitchen stand mixer beat the cream, cocoa, and sugar on high speed until soft peaks for. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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Go have a Brownie for breakfast! ‘Cause there’s a little witch in all of us.