Dark Chocolate Expresso Brownies w/ Almond Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Swirls of buttercream are good!

Yeaaa...this is how I re-cooperate from my little spill down the stairs!  Gimme chocolate and I'm good to go!  I'm doing MUCH better today, thank you all for your emails and messages.  I think I'm just badly bruised in my nether regions but I'll survive.  THIS was what I had planned for Monday to bake and share with ya'll but since I was laying on my back all day in bed, it didn't happen.  Let me introduce you to this sassy gem of a creation.

Awhile ago, on Tasty Kitchen, I stumbled upon a dark chocolate brownie recipe that blew my mind.  I am such a fan of dark chocolate so this just had to be made.  When you mix it up, the batter is near pitch black!  If you follow me on Facebook, I posted that I had made these and kinda left it at that.  But since then, I seriously make these every other week like clockwork.  They are so rich and sinful, it should be a crime...and I'm so willing to do the time for them.  (on the treadmill that is!)  Then, I had a King Arthur Flour cake recipe that called for expresso powder and it ramped the chocolate flavor to the heavens.  I put two + two together and added the expresso powder to this brownie batter and OMG.  Just OMG.  Not only do you get this thick, dark brownie with this deep, rich accent flavor but then you have molten pockets of chocolatey goo that just melt in your mouth too. 

And yet...that wasn't enough obviously.

See the melty pockets of chocolate?

Since Monday was such a crapola day, what could make Tuesday shine gloriously to make up for yesterday?  BUTTERCREAM!  Oh yes...buttercream.  And not that cream cheese crap everyone is touting as buttercream.  NO!  That's faux buttercream.  I wanted the real deal.  Real butter, whole milk, powdered sugar and flavoring.  Yeah, so I mixed it up and I was about to add my vanilla extract when I had the brilliant idea of using my vanilla bean paste.  Ever tried it?  (Its a gel like substance that has suspended vanilla bean seeds in it.  You use it JUST like vanilla extract, teaspoon for teaspoon but not only do you get the flavor but you get the lovely speckles that make it look more like homemade.  I *love* it.)  And then a stroke of genius hit me to try some almond extract as well.  It was....AHHHHMAZING!  So I piped it all willy nilly style over my brownies and then shaved some dark chocolate over the top.  Houston, we have lift off. 

Dark Chocolate Brownies

by Craving Chronicles & KAF, tweaked by me

½ cups Unsalted Butter

1 cup (heaping) Granulated Sugar

2 Large Eggs

¾ cup 100% Dark Cocoa Powder (not Dutch process)

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste

¾ cup All-purpose Flour

1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips

1 teaspoon expresso powder

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 8″ x 8″ pan or line with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat then remove from heat. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the butter mixture to heat briefly, just until it’s hot but not bubbling. It will get shiny as you stir it.

In a smaller bowl, crack the eggs and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla till smooth.  Stir the hot butter mixture into the egg mixture until smooth.  Mix in the flour and chocolate chips until just combined.  (don't overmix)

Pour batter into the lightly greased 8″ x 8″ pan and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, with some moist crumbs but no loose batter. Cool completely in the pan on a rack before serving. 

Almond Vanilla Bean Buttercream

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 cups of powdered sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

1/4 cup whole milk or heavy whipping cream

In your mixer, whip butter till light and fluffy.  Add your extracts, mix well.  Alternating, mix in powdered sugar with milk/cream till well combined.  If its too thin for your liking, add more powdered sugar.  If its too thick, add a wee bit of more milk till you reach your spreading or piping consistency.  Frost as desired.