I had some coffee from the breakfast waiting to go down the sink this morning. But, I can't live with myself anymore knowing that I wasted food without even thinking about something to do with it.
Even tough it is Sunday I still had time to go to the kitchen and do something sweet for the weekend - this is a new tradition in this house: we have to have something sweet to bite during the weekends. A delicious new tradition to be honest.
I was out of chocolate bars or chips, but I had cacao powder. Butter, eggs, sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and the coffee. The happiness recipe for sure.
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cacao powder
- 1 1/4 unsalted butter sticks
- 2 cold eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (leftover) coffee
I used to thought that TV shows put everything separated in bowls because it was cool. Turns out that when you have to measure all the ingredients, it's easier to separate everything before start the recipe. Let's bake!
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325°F (180°C). Line the bottom and sides of a baking pan with parchment paper - I used an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a heatproof bowl put the butter. Bring it to Bain Marie and let it melt. Then combine the cocoa and then the sugar and mix it with a whisk. Pour the coffee and whisk everything together. It should be warm enough that you can dip your finger on it - with no harm (please)!
Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to cool down a little bit. Add the cinnamon and the salt. The cinnamon will enhance the chocolate and the salt will enhance all the mixture. It's just a pinch, anyway.
A pinch of salt and cinnamon to enhance the flavors.
Now it's time for the eggs! After the batter has cooled down a bit, you can add one at a time. Pour one egg at time and stir vigorously after each one. The batter will look thick and very shiny. Now we can add the flour. Using a strainer to make the flour lighter and easier to stir. Also it prevents lumps on the batter.
In the end I decided to add some cacao nibs, just to add a bit of crunchiness.
Cacao nibs covered in dark chocolate.
I also spread some cacao nibs on the top:
And then... straight to the oven!
Put it on the oven for 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the brownie, if it emerges slightly moist with batter, it's ready!
Let it cool. And then serve!
I really don't know how to cut perfect squares...
