Coffee Brownies

You will love these easy yet delicious coffee brownies with the best fudgy texture and light and airy coffee whipped ganache frosting. The brownies have a thick and gooey center, perfect crinkly top, and the sweetness is offset perfectly by the coffee flavor.

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why This Is The Best Recipe
• 📝 Ingredient Notes
• 👩‍🍳 How To Make This Recipe
• 📖 Flavor Variations & Substitutions
• ❄️ Storage & Freezing
• ✨ Expert Tips
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• ❓Recipe FAQ
• ✨ More Brownie Recipes
• Coffee Brownies

🌟 Why This Is The Best Recipe

1. Their taste and texture – Coffee brownies with coffee frosting have the most amazing dense and fudgy center. Then, the creamy ganache frosting cuts through the sweetness with aromatic coffee flavor.
2. They're so easy to make - This is such an easy coffee brownie recipe; anyone can follow it! They look super pro due to the piped ganache but even beginner bakers can make them.
3. They're super versatile - You can make these coffee brownies into brownie bars or slice them small to serve as petit fours after dinner at a party. They also work well as part of a dessert table spread or as a potluck dessert.

📝 Ingredient Notes

This easy coffee brownie recipe only needs basic ingredients that are pantry staples; here is what you will need.

For the coffee brownies

1. Unsalted butter - Always use unsalted butter to remain in control of the quantity and quality of salt in a recipe. I use 82% fat-content butter, and in this recipe, the butter will need to be melted.
2. Sugar - I use a combination of white and brown sugar in this coffee brownie recipe. Sugar plays a very important part, not only bringing sweetness but also the iconic crackly top.
3. Egg - Always use room temperature eggs in baking for proper emulsification.
4. All-purpose flour - I use simple all-purpose flour or plain flour in cookies and brownie recipes. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, read my flour guide.
5. Chocolate - The quality of the chocolate will determine the overall taste of your coffee brownies. I suggest using dark chocolate, or at least semi sweet chocolate chips for the best taste. I use Callebaut Dark Chocolate (callets).
6. Cocoa powder - Unsweetened, 100% cocoa powder is best for baking. I use Dutch-process cocoa powder. Making coffee brownies with cocoa powder as well as chocolate gives them a lovely dark color and intense taste.
7. Coffee - A small amount of coffee in the coffee brownie batter really enhances the flavor of the chocolate. Use freshly brewed, strong coffee (like instant espresso powder).

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the coffee whipped ganache

1. White chocolate - Use good quality white chocolate for this chocolate-based ganache. I always use Callebaut WhiteChocolate (callets)
2. Heavy cream - Also known as whipping cream or double cream. It should have a fat content of between 36% and 40%, the one I use is 36% and it needs to be very cold for best results.
3. Gelatin - Powder or sheet versions of gelatin are available, but in my recipes, I always use sheet gelatin as I find it easier to handle. One sheet weighs 1.7 grams, and you can replace it with gelatin powder of the same weight if you prefer. Use according to package instructions.
4. Coffee -As above, I recommend brewing a strong espresso type of coffee and using it straight away while it's fresh.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How To Make This Recipe

Make the coffee ganache frosting for the coffee brownies first, as it needs time to set before you can use it.

How to make coffee ganache

1. Soak the gelatine sheet in cold water and place the white chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Chop it into small pieces if you are not using chips or callets.
2. Place the smaller amount of heavy cream and freshly brewed coffee into a saucepan and bring it just to boiling point, then remove it from the heat.
3. Squeeze out the excess water from the soaked gelatin sheet and then briskly whisk it into the hot cream and coffee until it has dissolved completely.
4. Pour the hot gelatin mixture over the white chocolate and coffee and let it stand as the chocolate begins to melt, then whisk it until it becomes smooth.
5. Wait for 5-10 minutes for the mixture to cool, then fold in the larger amount of cold heavy cream. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.

💡 Top Tip: If the cream is boiling when you pour it over the chocolate, it could burn it. But it needs to be hot enough to melt the chocolate and emulsify properly to create a glossy ganache.

How to bake coffee brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 356F and line a 7-inch/18cm square brownie pan with parchment paper.
2. Make a double boiler by placing a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the bowl, then stir in the coffee.
3. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the room temperature eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar together until pale and fluffy.
4. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Do not use the electric mixer.
5. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together, and then fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture until combined. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan.
6. Bake the coffee brownies for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow them to cool in the pan.
7. Take the ganache out of the fridge and whip for a few minutes with the electric hand mixer until it reaches a fluffy and pipeable consistency, but do not overbeat. Place it into a piping bag fitted with a French star nozzle tip.
8. Cut the coffee brownies into pieces and decorate with the piped ganache frosting.

💡 Top Tip: The coffee brownies are ready when the edge looks baked and the middle looks gooey but not raw. A toothpick should come out gooey.

📖 Flavor Variations & Substitutions

You can try a different frosting on these coffee brownies once you have mastered the recipe. I love them with a cream cheese frosting slathered on top. Or, double down on the chocolate taste with a Nutella frosting! Check out these other chocolate desserts, too.

If you are baking around a dietary restriction or have run out of certain necessary ingredients, be sure to check out my substitution guides.

And, if you love this coffee brownies recipe and coffee desserts, try making my espresso brownies, too!

❄️ Storage & Freezing

Store unfrosted instant coffee brownies in an air-tight container at room temperature. Once frosted, they will need to be kept in the fridge. Consume within 3-4 days.

Freeze unfrosted brownies by placing them in an airtight container or double-wrapping them in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Don't freeze coffee brownies once frosted, and do not freeze the coffee whipped ganache.

✨ Expert Tips

1.  Remove the chocolate from the heat as soon as it is melted, or it can break.
2. Preheat the oven higher by 20C / 68F, and then turn it down again once the brownies go in. This will compensate for the drop in oven temperature when you open the door.
3. If the crackly surface is not developing, take the brownies out of the oven 5-10 minutes before the end and bang the tray on the kitchen counter a few times before putting them back in.
4. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting and decorating with the coffee frosting.
5. Don't overbeat the ganache, as it can split and go runny. If it feels too runny to pipe, put it in the fridge for a few minutes.
6. This recipe makes 8 coffee brownies. If serving these coffee brownies as petit fours, cut them into 16 pieces.

🥣 Equipment notes

Use a Digital scale to weigh all the ingredients; baking is a science and requires precision.

Combine ingredients using an Electric hand mixer and a Rubber spatula

Ovens can vary, so ensure you are baking this brownies with coffee recipe at the right temperature by using a Digital oven thermometer.

Bake coffee brownies in a 7-inch /18 cm square brownie pan for the perfect

I decorate these fudgy coffee brownies with the ganache frosting in a Piping bag fitted with a French star nozzle tip.

❓Recipe FAQ

✨ More Brownie Recipes