Kahlua Brownies

 

I still have a lot of liquor in the cabinet from when my parents passed away over a decade ago.  Even after giving away all the unopened bottles in the first couple of years, it's a lot.  I give myself a mini celebration whenever I finish a bottle.  At the rate of a tablespoon, severely watered down, per drink, and maybe four drinks a week, it's taking a long time.

There's a bottle of homemade kahlua in there from some friends of theirs.  I stirred a tablespoon into some chocolate pudding as a flavor enhancer, and it was a nice accent.  So I went and found a recipe to use some in brownies.

I'm not a huge fudgy-brownie fan, but that's what happens if you put alcohol in the batter.  I'm more into cake brownies.  The recipe from That Skinny Chick Can Bake seemed to be what I was looking for.  It used less alcohol and was a bit closer to a cake brownie than some other versions.

I decided to make these after grocery day and didn't have any baking chocolate.  I used some dark chocolate bits I had bought for Passover and never used.  They had a little sugar in them, so I decreased my amount by several tablespoons.  If using actual baking chocolate, use the amounts listed.

1-1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 C unsalted butter, cut in cubes
*3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 C sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
*1/4 C Kahlua or other coffee liqueur

1.  Spray a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with pan spray, then line with parchment or foil.  I didn't fully line mine, and things went ok.  Some of the batter leaked under the parchment edge.  Snacks.  Preheat the oven to 350º.

2.  Melt the chocolate and butter together, either on a double boiler or in 30 second bursts on half power in the microwave.  I used half butter and half margarine, then cut back on the added salt.  Set aside to cool slightly so it doesn't cook the eggs.

3.  In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Separately, beat together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.

4.  Beat chocolate mixture into eggs until smooth.  Stir in 3 Tb of the Kahlua.  Stir in flour mixture until mostly combined, but don't overmix.

5.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 30 minutes for a 9x9, 35 for an 8x8, or until a toothpick comes up mostly clean.  These are fudgy, so a completely dry toothpick means you have overbaked them.  While still warm, brush with remaining tablespoon of Kahlua.

6.  Allow to cool fully before removing from pan and cutting.  Considering there is some uncooked alcohol, I made smaller pieces that easily fit in a cupcake liner.  This kind of brownie is easier to cut if you refrigerate it first.  Allow to return to room temperature for serving.

Makes 16 3-bite brownies

Difficulty rating  :)