Bourbon Brownies

These brownies are dense, almost fudge-like. The consistency reminds me a bit of flourless chocolate cake. The bourbon in the brownies cooks out, which is why I felt OK with topping them with Bourbon Buttercream Frosting.

ingredients.

8 oz bittersweet chocolate
8 T. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
5 eggs
3 T. brewed espresso, room temperature
2 T. bourbon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
cooking spray
Bourbon Buttercream Frosting

directions.

Coat a 13×9-inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Press the paper in place. Coat with spray lightly again.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
With a knife, break the chocolate up into small pieces (or use bittersweet chocolate chips). Melt in a double boiler or at 30-second intervals in the microwave. Set it aside to cool.
Put the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl if you’re using a hand-held mixer). Mix on medium-high to cream the butter and sugar together. Crack in the eggs. Mix on medium-high speed until well combined.
Pour in the espresso and the bourbon. Mix to incorporate. Then add the flour and cocoa powder. Mix just to combine.
Pour in the melted chocolate. It’s OK if it’s warm but don’t add it when it’s hot or you could cook the eggs in the batter (this actually happened to me once). Mix on high to combine for 30 to 60 seconds. The batter will be rather stiff – mousse-like. Pour into your prepared pan. Smooth down with a spatula or back of the spoon to even out the surface.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. When you insert a toothpick halfway between the side and the middle of the pan, it should have just a few crumbs clinging to it. If your toothpick is gooey, stick the pan back in the oven for a few minutes and test again.
Cool to room temperature before frosting.

I’m not a huge fan of the texture of these brownies. Though I like both dense and moist, I prefer a more traditional texture. I’m not sure I would make these again.

Recipe rating:  1/2