Coffee Brownies for Two

low angle shot of one of the brownies cut in half and stacked so that you can see the inside. They are on a white plate with some coffee beans and the other brownie on the side

5 from 7 votes

Few flavors are so perfectly suited for each other as bitter coffee and sweet chocolate. This brownie recipe brings the two together by spiking both the brownie batter and a cream-cheese swirl with instant espresso powder. The result is heavenly. This recipe is adapted from my book Dessert Cooking for Two.

Course Dessert Recipes

Cuisine American

Keyword brownies for two, small batch brownies

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 311kcal

Author Robin Donovan

Ingredients

4 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter divided
Pinch kosher salt
1 large egg yolk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder divided
1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons cream cheese at room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven andprepare the muffin tin. Preheat the oven to
350ºF. Grease 2 wells of a muffin tin with baking spray.
Melt the butter with the sugar. Combine the butter with 3 tablespoons of the sugar and the salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Return to the microwave and heat for another 30 seconds. Remove and stir again.
Mix in the remaining brownie batter ingredients. Stir in the egg yolk
and vanilla. Add 1 tablespoon of the espresso powder and the cocoa powder and stir until the mixture is well combined and glossy. Add the flour and stir to incorporate.
Make the coffee cream swirl mixture. In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese with the remaining tablespoon of sugar and the remaining tablespoon of espresso powder.
Bake the brownies. Scoop two-thirds of the brownie batter into the prepared wells of the muffin tin, dividing evenly.
Dollop the coffee cream mixture on top of the batter and then top with remaining brownie batter. Using a knife, swirl the brownie and cream mixtures together slightly, creating a swirling pattern. Bake for about 25 minutes. Let the brownies cool for a few minutes before removing them from the
tin.

Notes

1. You can buy instant espresso powder in any supermarket, right alongside the instant coffee and hot chocolate mixes. You can also substitute any coffee-flavored liqueur like Kahlua or Tia Maria (I
like to buy the little airplane-size bottles when I just need a small amount). Substituting just strong-brewed coffee will work, too.

2. If your cream cheese is too cold to stir together with the sugar, pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds or so.

3, Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and espresso powder together in the same bowl you used to melt the butter with sugar. You don’t even need to wash it out!

4. Check the brownies after they have been in the oven for 25 minutes. They will probably be done. If they’re not, let them go another 2 or 3 minutes. Remember, underbaking is usually better than overbaking when it comes to brownies. You want them to be nice and gooey.

Nutrition