Mocha Brownies

These brownies are saving my life right now. Allow me to explain: I had surgery on my foot last week. Wait! Don't freak out (I think I did enough of that for everyone)! But it was planned and hopefully I will be dancing again soon. I made these brownies before the surgery and now that I am recovering on the couch, with my "toes above my nose", I look forward every day to eating one of these splendid morsels of awesome-ness after I eat dinner.

The brownies themselves are super chocolatey and definitely on the fudge end of the spectrum. I am usually not a "frosting on my brownies" type of person, but I listened to The Pioneer Woman (as I always try to) and smothered a healthy layer of mocha frosting on top. 



One bite was pure heaven! I have kept them in the refrigerator to keep the frosting a little bit harder. The coffee flavor of the frosting with the fudge brownie....WOO! Out of control! Thanks, Pioneer Woman, for giving me 5 extra brownie-pounds since I can't work out right now. Love, Sugar.



Mocha Brownies from The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook

Four 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

11/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 to 3/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9 inch square pan. 

To make the brownie batter, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, being careful not to let it burn. Set it aside to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs.

With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the melted chocolate. Add the vanilla extract and mix.

Add the flour to the bowl and mix just until combined; do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the baking pan. Spread it to even out the surface. Bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center is no longer soft. Set the brownies aside to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, in a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Mix until slightly combined, then add 1/2 cup of the coffee.

Whip until the icing is the desired consistency. If the icing is overly thick, add 1/4 cup more coffee. It should be very light and fluffy.

Ice the cooled brownies, spreading the icing on thick. Refrigerate until the icing is firm, then slice the brownies into squares.