Coffee Brownies

Coffee brownies are the perfect combination of rich gooey chocolate brownies and creamy coffee buttercream. They are topped with a fudgy glaze to really make them over the top good.

If you love coffee and chocolate, this is the dessert for you. They start with a simple recipe for homemade brownies and are topped with a creamy coffee frosting and ganache for a lovely treat that is sure to win you over.

Coffee and chocolate are just meant to go together. Adding a little bit of coffee to a chocolate recipe really brings out the rich chocolate flavor.

Or having a cup of coffee with a rich chocolate dessert helps to cut through that richness and allows you to have another bite. But in this case the coffee isn’t just a vehicle to help the chocolate shine, it is its own layer and a star of the show.

I know you all like coffee in your desserts because the recipe for coffee and cream sponge cake has been wildly popular. It has a coffee infused sponge cake wrapped in mocha whipped cream and is a perfect dessert for people who think regular cake and American buttercream is too sweet.

This recipe takes the coffee and cream flavors into a bit richer territory. And it has three beautiful layers of flavor that allow you to enjoy them first with your eyes.

But don’t worry, they aren’t just made to be looked at. The real joy comes with that first bite, that is when these brownies really shine!

(If you love coffee flavored desserts, you should check out the recipe for coffee pound cake as well!)

Making the brownies

This recipe starts with a layer of homemade brownies. Making brownies from scratch is actually really quite easy.

For this version, we melt unsweetened chocolate and butter in the microwave and then add kitchen staples to turn it into a really quick and simple batter.

If you are like me, you don’t always stock squares of unsweetened chocolate in the pantry. So if your sweet tooth is bothering you and you need alternatives, don’t despair.

First, you could always use a mix if you have one. Any batch of 8×8 brownies will do.

Or, if you have cocoa powder in your pantry, you could whip up a batch of our favorite cocoa powder brownies. We like that recipe because it is made with ingredients we always have around.

Really there are no tricks to making great brownies because they are so simple to do. The only key here would be a good bake.

We love a good gooey brownie, but in this case you are going to want them baked enough to be able to cut into good squares and served. So make sure they are set and cooled completely before you move on to the buttercream layer.

Coffee and Cream Buttercream

The next layer in these beauties is a bit of coffee and cream buttercream. It is another really simple thing to make, but is really the star of the show!

You just dissolve some instant coffee into cream. Then you make a creamy buttercream frosting with it.

After you spread the frosting on the brownies, put them in the refrigerator for a bit to set. That way the frosting is solid and chilled when you put the melted chocolate on.

That is what will keep your layers distinct. Pouring the warm chocolate over room temperature buttercream runs the risk of melting the frosting and muddling the layers.

There are some easy substitutions you can make in this layer as well. If you don’t have instant coffee, and espresso powder would also work.

Coffee extract would also do in a pinch if you happen to have that on hand. You can adjust the coffee flavor to your preference and proceed with the recipe.

If you don’t have heavy cream, milk will also work. Just start with a couple of teaspoons and add more as necessary to get your desired frosting consistency.

Chocolate glaze

The final layer of these decadent brownies is the chocolate glaze. Just melt chocolate chips and heavy cream together in the microwave.

The key here is to not overheat the chocolate, you don’t want it to seize. So do twenty to thirty second bursts in the microwave and stir well after each one.

As soon as you are able to stir the chocolate smooth, stop. Allow it to cool just a bit and then pour it over the chilled buttercream.

Smooth the chocolate glaze out with a knife or offset spatula and allow it to set up. Now you are ready to serve your brownies!

If you don’t have heavy cream, you can also use butter in this step. It will melt with the chips and give you a nice smooth rich finish.