Death By Chocolate Brownies

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have notice a few weeks ago when I went to San Diego with one of my closest real life friends and dear blogging colleagues, Dorothy Kern from Crazy for Crust. We were celebrating the release of her amazing new book: Crazy for Cookies, Brownies, and Bars. This book is amazing because it totally encapsulates Dorothy’s passion and joy for baking. There are 85 recipes in the book and each one was meticulously tested and photographed. I know how much love Dorothy has for baking and sharing those great skills with others, and that really shines through in this book. Today, I’m going to share with you one of my favorites from her book: Death by Chocolate Brownies. These brownies are legit you guys. I wish they were harder to make so that I didn’t want to make them every single day.

How to Make Death by Chocolate Brownies

Using Espresso in Chocolate Brownies

The instant espresso in this recipe is like a secret ingredient. Adding it enhances the chocolate flavor of the recipe and brings an extra punch that will leave people wondering what your secrets are. That being said, if you want to leave it out, you can. You don’t need to replace it with anything else, just skip it all together.

Butter and Oil in Brownies

In this recipe, Dorothy makes the genius decision to use both oil and butter. The reason for that is that it makes the brownie richer. The oil does a great job of keeping the brownies moist and the butter brings in that great flavor you know and love.

Storing

These chocolate brownies can be stored in an air tight container for up to four days. I will tell you a little secret. As much as I loved them right out of the oven, I think I actually loved them more as each day went on. It doesn’t make sense. These are not wine, they should not get better with age. But they do.

Freezing Chocolate Brownies

These brownies will freeze great. In fact, Dorothy has a whole section at the front of her book about how to freeze cookies and bars. Her trick is to place a paper towel between the layers of cookies and/or bars when you place them in a gallon sized freezer bag. That way when you take the bag out and allow them to thaw, the paper towel absorbs any excess moisture. She’s a genius. These Chocolate Brownies can be frozen for up to one month. Make sure that they are stored in an air tight container in your freezer.

Substitutions and Variations

Add in nuts. Pour in 1/2 a cup of walnuts or pecans to this recipe.Leave out the coffee. As mentioned above, if your house doesn’t do coffee, you can skip it.