The KBAL Brownie Initiative

Analysis

These brownies won out over many other yummy sounding recipes, such as Brownies in a Jar, Chocolate Chipotle Brownies and Troy State University Brownies. Plus, they sounded like something you could eat for breakfast and not feel guilty. The only one I'm sad about is the Godiva brownies, because it would have given me an excuse to buy some Godiva chocolate liqueur. Oh well, next time John leaves us for the thrill of a roller coaster...

These were so easy to make that I almost didn't notice the interruptions (Abby & Emily arguing about bedtime) as I was trying to complete the batter. For once I had everything I needed (it has to be some kind of curse of that book). This was a total one bowl recipe, the instructions called for using a microwave and it was sized for a large batch! It gets a perfect '0' on the PITA score. Chocolate, butter and espresso were melted in a bowl in the microwave. Eggs were added, beaten and then in went the sugar and flour. Popped it in the oven and 40 minutes later, I had brownies, complete with a crispy, crinkly top crust!

The frosting was also super simple. Luckily, I had a full bar of cream cheese in the fridge. Mix that with some butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and you have yummy frosting. The only bad part about these is I had to make them in the 12x18 pan, which I don't have a lid for, so I couldn't bring them in on the back of the bike.

Unfortunately, these brownies are a bit of a disappointment. The frosting is fabulous, but the brownie is so-so. It's nice and chocolaty, but the coffee flavor is sorely lacking. But it didn't stop me from having a second one.

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes
• Total time: 3 hours (includes cooling and frosting)

Modifications

I lined the pan with parchment and greased it with Crisco instead of the foil/butter combo the recipe called for.

Improvements

I might add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar to the top for a bit of decoration and extra cinnamon flavor. I might also sprikles some crushed instant coffee on top to enhance the coffee flavor.

I would also add instant coffee to the mix instead of liquid for more coffee flavor and possibly a touch of cinnamon to the brownie as well.

My Rating - scale of 1-10

• PITA Rating: 0
• Difficulty Rating: 2
• Recipe Complexity (over a basic no-frills brownie): 4
• Texture: 6
• Flavor: 4
• Overall Rating: 5