Brownies with Coffee Buttercream and Salted Caramel Brownies med kaffesmörkräm och salt kolasås

It's hard to beat a good, chewy, fudgy brownie with a crinkly crust. What's even harder to beat is a brownie like that, topped with a coffee buttercream and a salted caramel sauce! In my book, this is a winner.

I had a chocolate craving the other night and tried out a new brownie recipe that only uses melted semi-sweet chocolate instead of cocoa powder. It almost resembles a chocolate lava cake in it's rich chocolate flavor, but with a more fudgy consistency. For a nicer presentation, I baked them in a pop over pan that my hubby's grandmother bought me years ago. I love the shape they got! 

Since I'm a lover of anything coffee and chocolate, I made a vanilla buttercream with some brewed coffee in it, and it turned out delicious. The salted caramel on top is just another bonus to an already yummy dessert! 

As a finishing touch, I garnished the brownies with gold dusted rose petals and dried rose buds. 

Om du älskar brownies, är det här receptet något för dig! En chokladdröm som toppas med en fantastisk kaffesmörkräm och salt kolasås. Garnera med rosenblad och torkade rosenknoppar för vacker presentation!



Ultimate Brownies
by Handletheheat

1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, butter, and unsweetened chocolate. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute then stir. Continue heating in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is melted and smooth but not scorched. Remove from the microwave and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until light and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and salt, folding gently until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake until a tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached, 35 to 40. Do not over-bake. Let cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or chilled.



For the buttercream, I used this recipe and omitted the heavy cream and used cold brewed coffee instead.



Salted Caramel Sauce
by Bobby Flay

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste


Directions

In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the sugar with 1/4 cup cold water and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar has turned a deep amber hue, approximately 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the cream in a small saucepan. When the caramel is ready, slowly whisk in the warm cream and continue simmering the mixture until it is smooth, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then whisk in the butter, and then the salt, to taste. Serve warm.

Chocolate Brownie and Lemon Cheesecake with Italian Meringue

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that summer is finally here! We've had a series of rainy weeks here on the East coast, but we can finally switch out our rain jackets and boots for shorts and flip-flops. And of course, we need to make a summery dessert to celebrate!

This tasty goodness is a perfect composition of decadent chocolate brownie, creamy lemon cheesecake and a light Italian meringue. I mean, what's not to love?

I love rustic looking desserts, mainly because they're usually easy to assemble and let the ingredients be the star of the show. This was my first time using frozen raspberries, and I love how beautiful they look! They add a nice colorful touch to the dessert and pairs nicely with the lemon flavor, too.

In the making of this dessert I am especially proud of two things, 1) I didn't light the kitchen on fire using the blow torch, and 2) I restrained myself from eating half of the dessert before it made it to the table. I might have had a few "test bites".

Happy baking!


Fudge Brownies
from Passion for Baking

9 oz. (250 g) dark chocolate (55-60% cocoa solids)
½ cup (120 g) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp sea salt
7 oz. (200 g) dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 9 x 12-inch (25 x 30 cm) baking pan with baking parchment.
2. Place the 9 oz. (250 g) chocolate into a heat proof bowl with the butter and melt over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the eggs and sugar into a mixing bowl and stir with a hand whisk. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt and fold into the mixture. Fold in the chopped chocolate and vanilla. 
5. Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake for 30 minutes, no longer. Let cool completely.

Lemon Cheesecake
from Passion for Baking

150 g sugar
Finely grated rind of 2 lemons
1 ¼ dl lemon juice (ca. 3–5 lemons)
3 large eggs
2 gelatin leaves
300 g cream cheese


Directions:

1. Combine sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg in a pan and heat it over low heat, stirring constantly. 
2. Add gelatin leaves in cold water for a few minutes to soften them. 
3. When the batter begins to thicken, squeeze water out of the gelatin leaves and have them up in the boiler. Stir well so the gelatin is completely dissolved. 
4. Pour the mixture into a blender. Let lemon mixture to cool for 5 minutes (or until the mixture is 60 ° C) before adding cream cheese. Then run the blender for a few minutes so that the lemon mixture is completely smooth. 
5. Pour it over the cooled brownies bottom and set the cake cool, for a few hours or overnight.

For the Italian Meringue recipe, check out this earlier post.