Have Your Coffee & Eat It, Too!

I like to drink coffee, but I like to eat my coffee even better. I’m not crunching away on coffee grounds, mind you – I’m using my coffee coupons to make delicious sweets. I’m a huge fan of Sandra Lee’s Espresso scones, but my new favorite is this recipe for Jamaican coffee brownies.
INGREDIENTS

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 15 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons finely ground Jamaican coffee beans
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

PLUS

• 1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons freshly brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

• 30 thin strips crystallized ginger

DIRECTIONS

         Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a 13x9” baking pan with cooking spray.         

         In a large metal mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, cocoa, coffee, and sale. Place  this bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, which will slowly melt the butter. Whisk until butter melts and all ingredients are well-blended. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla extract and eggs. Fold in flour and mix in pecans, if desired. Bake brownies about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

         While brownies cool in the pan, place chocolate ships in a small bowl and brew 6 tablespoons of coffee. Bring brewed coffee to a simmer in a small saucepan and then pour over chips, then stir until melted and smooth. This ganache will need to thicken for about an hour, and then it will be ready to spread over the brownies. Cut the brownies into 15 squares and garnish with ginger strips – I think you’ll agree that this recipe is an excellent use of coffee coupons and is a great compliment to after-dinner coffee.