These fudgy Kahlua Brownies are topped with a browned butter Kahlua icing! You’ll find a helpful video in the post showing you how to make these delicious Kahlua Brownies.
Kahlua Brownies
These Kahlua Brownies have Kahlua (can sub any coffee-flavored liqueur) throughout. It’s baked into the brownie itself. I also brush a couple of tablespoons of Kahlua on the brownies as they come out of the oven… and watch it soak into the top and down through the warm layers. Even the browned butter icing has a bit of Kahlua in it.
🛒Ingredients needed:
- flour
- salt
- baking powder
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- unsalted butter
- light brown sugar
- Kahlua
- eggs
- whipping cream
- powdered sugar
✏️How to make Kahlua Brownies:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
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Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
PREPARE THE BROWNIES:
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In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.
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Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (pan shouldn’t be touching the water). Place the chocolate chips and butter in the bowl and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
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In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, ½ cup Kahlua and eggs. Pour in the buttery chocolate mixture and beat until mixed well. Mix in the dry ingredients and beat just until combined.
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Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top cracks slightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (it might be slightly gooey on the bottom of the toothpick- that’s okay!) Remove the brownies from the oven and immediately brush warm brownies with 2 tablespoons of Kahlua. Let the brownies cool completely. I like to refrigerate them after they have cooled down a bit.
PREPARE THE ICING:
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Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until lightly browned. Remove from heat and add Kahlua and whipping cream. Whisk in the powdered sugar until you have the consistency that you desire (you should be looking for a thick, smooth icing that is still pourable). Pour on top of the cooled brownies and spread to the edges to cover completely. Refrigerate until set. Chilled brownies are easiest to cut… use a large, sharp knife, wipe clean after each cut, and you’ll get nice, clean cuts.
➡️Recipe Tips:
- If you’re not a fan of Kahlua, try substituting your own favorite liqueur into this recipe.
- Some people ask why I line brownie pans with foil. The answer is simple. It makes them so much easier to remove from the pan without ruining any of the edges.
- Keep a close eye on the butter as you brown it for the icing. You don’t want to go too far. Burnt butter icing is NOT the goal!
✔️What to do with Kahlua Brownies:
- Make these for a grown-up gathering. Everyone loves brownies and your guests will be impressed with the Kahlua “kick” added to these.
- If you’re really ambitious, think ahead and make some Homemade Kahlua for these brownies.
- Should you be lucky enough to have leftovers, store the brownies in covered container and pop in the refrigerator. They’re best if eaten within a couple of days.
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- These are a FUDGY sort of brownie and in my opinion that’s the best kind of brownie!
- I love that they’re an EASY homemade brownie to make. Just mix and bake, and ice when cool. It’s a small time investment for such a wonderful outcome.
- I have to admit it. I find Kahlua Brownies are addicting (in the best possible way), so consider yourself warned!
Other Kahlua recipes to try:
- Kahlua Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Kahlua Cream Sauce
- Kahlua Dip
- Kahlua Pecan Brown Sugar Baked Brie
- Kahlua Cake
Kahlua Brownies
These are the best fudgy brownies with your favorite liqueur added in!
Ingredients
BROWNIES:
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups light brown sugar
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Kahlua, divided
- 2 large eggs
ICING:
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
- 2 tablespoons Kahlua
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream
- 2¼ cups (more or less) powdered sugar (sifted after measuring)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9x9-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
PREPARE THE BROWNIES:
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (pan shouldn't be touching the water). Place the chocolate chips and butter in the bowl and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, ½ cup Kahlua and eggs. Pour in the buttery chocolate mixture and beat until mixed well. Mix in the dry ingredients and beat just until combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top cracks slightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (it might be slightly gooey on the bottom of the toothpick- that's okay!) Remove the brownies from the oven and immediately brush warm brownies with 2 tablespoons of Kahlua. Let the brownies cool completely. I like to refrigerate them after they have cooled down a bit.
PREPARE THE ICING:
- Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until lightly browned. Remove from heat and add Kahlua and whipping cream. Whisk in the powdered sugar until you have the consistency that you desire (you should be looking for a thick, smooth icing that is still pourable). Pour on top of the cooled brownies and spread to the edges to cover completely. Refrigerate until set. Chilled brownies are easiest to cut... use a large, sharp knife, wipe clean after each cut, and you'll get nice, clean cuts.
Notes
- Store brownies in covered container. They're best if eaten within a couple of days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1brownie, Calories: 523kcal, Carbohydrates: 69g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 191mg, Potassium: 200mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 50g, Vitamin A: 500IU, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 2.6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are incredible! The Kahlua taste is not too strong yet not too subtle. I did modify the recipe a bit- I used 6 squares of Baker’s unsweetened chocolate instead of the 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips for fear that the recipe would be too sweet. I think they turned out amazing!
I tried these last night. I came by your site while looking for banana-kahlua recipe and found this instead. I just had to make it.
Brownie turned out awesome 🙂
I’m not a big sugar fan so I put a lot less sugar (about 2/3rds) but ended up making up for it with using more kahlua. The brownies are really moist and don’t need any icing (imho) but I made some anyway.
All was perfect except that the brownies did collapse in the center after cooling. Any idea why? I probably woulnd’t mind so much except it does look weird when I flipped it over to ice.
I probably put on 3-4 Tbsp of kahlua at the end for it to soak through – maybe this could’ve caused the collapse?
I’d love to make this for christmas and send them out instead of christmas cookies, so would be nice to have “square” looking ones.
Thanks again for putting this up.
@Dary, When bars and cakes collapse in the center, that’s a pretty good indication that they were not quite done in the middle. In other words, the batter in the middle didn’t have a chance to turn into cake during the baking process. Timing can be tough sometimes since all ovens are different. Checking the center w/ a sharp, thin knife is usually the best way to go… it should come out pretty clean w/ a few crumbs attached. I also just take my hand and gently pat the middle to see if it feels like it has baked enough and is slightly firm. Good luck!
@Dary, And since you mentioned that you used more liquid in the recipe, this is probably why they did not turn out. The modifications in the recipe may have caused collapse, I’m afraid.
@Lori Lange,
Thanks for this. I suspected this might be the case. The skewer did come out clean in the middle.
Next time, I’ll cut down on the alcohol 🙂
Although I love the original version of these brownies, I just made them with Chambord Raspberry Liquer, and they were just as amazing!
Thanks for the recipe. I have made them 3x already and everyone loves it. 🙂
It’s so easy to cut into bars.
I made these for my office – everyone LOVED them! Thank you!
Thank you very much for recipe. I made my first brownies ever and they are delicious!
This icing inspired an amazing browned butter espresso icing for my brownies. Loved it.
http://aepie.blogspot.com/2010/03/brownies-with-browned-butter-espresso.html
I made these last night and they were divine! had to bring the rest in to the office so we wouldn’t eat them all!
The brown butter frosting gave me LIFE!!!! Gonna use it on some cupcakes this weekend. This recipe definitely added to the arsenal!
Love Love Love your site!
Made these for the super bowl they were a big hit, very delicious!
Thank you! Will make these for 25 people Saturday!