Cappuccino Brownies

These Cappuccino Brownies are a big-time favorite brownie recipe.

What I love about these Cappuccino Brownies is that they have three layers of deliciousness. They start with a a fudgy cappuccino brownie base, and then they’re topped with a cream cheese layer and a classic chocolate glaze. They’re wonderful!

How to make Cappuccino Brownies:

First you’ll make a classic fudgy brownie layer. Two key ingredients in the brownies are using bittersweet chocolate and espresso powder. I like to buy a chunk of bittersweet chocolate and chop it into pieces. But in a pinch, you can use bittersweet chocolate chips. Espresso powder can be found in the coffee aisle of your regular grocery store. It will be found near the instant coffee. People often ask if they can leave out the espresso powder. Yes, you can leave it out… but it will change the flavor of these cappuccino brownies substantially. The espresso really intensifies the chocolate flavor. Don’t be tempted to leave it out!

If you want to add nuts to these brownies, you’ll mix them in when you’re done making the brownie batter. It’s okay to leave out the nuts if you’re not a nut family (or if you’re allergic).

The brownie batter is spread into an 8-inch square pan. Use parchment paper to make it easier to get the brownies out of the pan after they’re done.

After baking the brownies, a cream cheese layer is spread on top of the baked brownies. It’s optional that cinnamon is added to this layer since I know that some people do not like cinnamon and chocolate together. It’s good in these cappuccino brownies though! The brownies go into the fridge for an hour to let the cream cheese layer firm-up.

The final step!

And finally, a chocolate glaze is added on top of the cream cheese layer. It’s a simple glaze of chocolate, heavy cream, butter and more espresso powder. After this, the brownies are chilled until all of the layers are nice and firm. Then you can use the parchment paper to help you wiggle the whole chunk of brownies out of the pan and move them to a cutting board.

With a long, thin knife, cut the chilled brownies into 12 squares. Cut them into 24 squares if you prefer to serve them in small bites. Serve the brownies cold or at room temperature. These brownies will keep, covered and chilled, in one layer, for 5 days. Enjoy!

Here are a few more brownie recipes you might like to try:

• Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with Heath Bars and Pecans
• Ooey Gooey Brownies
• Milky Way Brownies
• Irish Cream Brownies
• Mint Brownies
• Deep Dark Brownies
• Copycat Cosmic Brownies
• Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

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Cappuccino Brownies

By RecipeGirl.com (shared from an old Gourmet magazine)

TOTALLY rich and wonderful. The brownies have basically two layers of frosting- a cream cheese layer and then a classic chocolate glaze.

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Chill Time:: 4 hours hrs

Servings: 12 brownies

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Ingredients

BROWNIE LAYER:

• ▢ 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• ▢ 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (dissolved in ½ tablespoon boiling water)
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated white sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ ½ cup all purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ ¾ cup sifted powdered sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

GLAZE:

• ▢ 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ 2¼ teaspoons espresso powder (dissolved in ½ tablespoon boiling water)

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan, knocking out the excess flour. (Or line the pan with parchment, letting the parchment come up the sides and hang over- then spray the parchment.- this is recommended as it's easier to get the brownies out of the pan cleanly.)

BROWNIE LAYER:

• In a large saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter with the espresso mixture over low heat, stirring, until smooth and then remove the pan from heat. Cool the mixture to lukewarm and whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs, whisking well until the mixture is glossy and smooth. Stir in the flour and salt until just combined and stir in walnuts (if using).
• Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake in the middle of the oven 22 to 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Cool the brownie layer completely in pan on a rack.

MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon (if using) and beat until combined well. Spread the cream cheese layer evenly over the brownie layer. Chill the brownies for 1 hour, or until the cream cheese layer is firm.

MAKE THE GLAZE:

• In a large pyrex measuring cup or glass bowl, place the chocolate, cream, butter and espresso mixture. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth. If the glaze is steaming hot, let it cool a little bit. Pour the glaze carefully over the cream cheese layer.
• Chill brownies, covered, until cold (at least 3 hours).

SLICE AND SERVE:

• If you used parchment, simply lift the brownies out of the pan by holding the sides of the parchment. Place on a cutting board and gently peel off the parchment. With a long, thin knife, cut the chilled brownies into 24 squares. Serve the brownies cold or at room temperature. These brownies will keep, covered and chilled, in one layer, for 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1brownie, Calories: 373kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 96mg, Potassium: 170mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 541IU, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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