The perfect brownie (for me)

Coffee Brownies
Maxwell House Coffee Drinks & Desserts Cookbook Copyright 1999

4 large eggs
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (1 1/2) sticks) butter or margarine
4 squares (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup toasted coarsely chopped nuts (optional) I didn't add these
Bittersweet Coffee Glaze (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with foil; lightly butter the foil.

Stir the eggs, instant coffee, and vanilla in a small bowl until well blended; set aside.

Microwave the butter and chocolate in a microwavable bowl on High for 2 minutes or until the butter is melted. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

Stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture until well blended. Mix in the egg mixture. Stir in the flour and nuts. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Spread the Bittersweet Coffee Glaze over the brownies, if desired. Cut into squares to serve. Serve in tightly covered container.

Makes 24 brownies.

Bittersweet Coffee Glaze

6 squares (6 ounces) bittersweet chocolate
5 tablespoons corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon instant coffee

Microwave the chocolate, corn syrup, butter, and instant coffee in a medium microwavable bowl on High for 2 minutes or until the butter is melted. Stir until the chocolate is melted. (You might want to add the coffee powder last since it almost burned on me.) Cool slightly. Spread over the brownies.
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I picked up this cookbook for 25 cents at a yard sale earlier this summer. I was thrilled because so many of the recipes sound great AND they don't require buying any extra ingredients. Not that they are all plain-Jane but they happen to call for ingredients I already have in my pantry. I always keep a jar of instant coffee on hand specifically for recipes (I can't drink instant coffee).

This recipe made a huge dent in my chocolate surplus. It was worth it! I don't discriminate - I love all kinds of brownies - cakey, fudgy, chewey, frosted, not frosted, glazed, not glazed but my favorite type is fudgy and these were the perfect example of fudgy and the glaze made them even better. This recipe is basically a variation of one bowl brownies - very easy to prepare. I liked the hint of coffee but it wasn't overwhelming. I don't think it would be a problem to leave the coffee out (of the brownies or the glaze) if that isn't your thing or if you just don't have any.

The glaze ended up setting up really nicely. I am glazed-challenged and often end up with a sticky mess but not this time. I did put them in the fridge for a bit but once the glaze was set, I took them out of the fridge and kept them out. The glaze stayed firm for days.

For a while there, I could bake something, taste a small bit of it, then pass it along but with a recipe as good as this I end up sampling more than just a small bit. These were very dangerous. I was very sad when they were gone.