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    Brownie Espresso Pie

    Aug 23, 2022 · 35 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Coffee and chocolate, a combination made in culinary heaven, is made even better when carried on the decadent, fudgy texture of today’s brownies.  Easy to make and even easier to love, these are perfect for busy weeknights or relaxed weekends.

    The fudgy texture of the brownies contrasts deliciously with a super simple graham cracker topping, that we’ve whipped together from brown sugar, graham crackers, and crushed pretzels.  The end result is a wonderful contrast of textures, a contrast of sweet and salty, set against the coffee-chocolate fudge of the brownies themselves.

    Today’s brownies pair deliciously with all of the usual culprits.  Think luscious homemade ice cream, or topped with a red wine syrup.  Naturally, a good cup of coffee would be the best, and simplest, pairing for today’s brownies.

    These brownies keep deliciously in the fridge for up to a week, and heat up beautifully in either the microwave or toaster oven.  Served warm with the dollop of either whipped cream or ice cream, and you’re good to go.

    Below, we’ll be covering the ingredients you’ll need, some key substitutions, and a few prep tips.

    Now, without further delay, let’s make some brownies.

    Ingredient Checklist For the Brownies

    • Brownie Box Mix.  Use a ‘super moist’ or ‘ultra-fudgy’ mix.
    • Eggs.  Not a whole lot to say here, other than these help bind it all together and add fat for moisture and flavor.
    • Butter.  I highly recommend using unsalted butter for the purposes of these brownies.
    • Marmalade.  Added sweetness and flavor to get that delicious “orange and chocolate” combination going.
    • Sugar.  Simple, granulated sugar will work just fine.
    • Flour.  All purpose flour is probably best for today’s brownies.  Bread flour would result in a ‘hard’ and ‘dense’ brownie, while baking flour would risk lightening them too much, making them cake-like.
    • Fine Ground Coffee.  Fine grinds not only ensure that you won’t ‘taste’ the grinds in the finished brownies, but also help extract more coffee flavor into the batter. 
    • Vanilla.  Vanilla extract, beans, or paste will all work fine.  Remember that paste, beans, and extract all substitute at a one-to-one ratio.
    • Water.  As a rule of thumb, I only cook or bake with water that I would personally drink and enjoy.

    Ingredient Checklist For the Topping

    • Brown Sugar.  I’m using dark brown sugar because it has more of that ‘molasses flavor’ that we’re looking for.
    • Graham Crackers.  Not a whole lot to say here, just simple graham crackers.
    • Salted Pretzels.  I’m using standard thin pretzels for today’s recipe.
    • Butter.  Here again, I recommend using plain, unsalted butter.

    Substitutes

    • The Flour.  Almond flour or brown rice flour can stand in for wheat flour.  Brown rice flour, in particular, doesn’t have a strong flavor, and has a powdery texture similar to wheat flour, making it a good choice for most baked goods.
    • The Marmalade.  There isn’t a perfect substitution for this item, however, here are a few suggestions that should work well enough.  Try an equal amount of orange jelly, if you have that on hand.  You could also mix a tablespoon orange juice with about a tablespoon of orange zest, and add that in place of the marmalade.

    Prep Notes

    • The Brownies Cook Up Fudgy.  These brownies are ‘very’ fudgy when they come out of the oven.  Don’t worry, they are indeed done.  They do, however, need to ‘set.’  Which brings us to our next point.
    • Let Them Cool.  Letting the brownies cool allows them to ‘set.’  Otherwise, eating them could be quite messy.  I advise leaving them out at room temperature for about an hour before eating them.
    • Overmixing Ruins Brownies.  Do you want brownies that are rubbery and firm?  Or smooth and fudgy?  Overmixing brownies pushes ‘air’ into the mixture, and that air will make the brownies cook up firm and rubbery.  Not fun.  As such, I advise mixing only until the batter has come together.
    • Parchment.  Parchment is, in all honesty, the superior way to ensure that the brownies don’t stick to the pan.  It also makes for ‘much’ easier cleanup, and also makes it easier to remove the brownies from the pan.
    • Butter and Flour.  If you don’t have parchment, your next best bet is a mix of butter and flour.  Simply butter the pan, thoroughly, and then dust with flour.  Yes, flour substitutes work for this purpose.
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    Brownie Espresso Pie

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    ★★★★★

    5 from 7 reviews

    • Author: Living the Gourmet
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 55 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 brownie box mix
    • 1/2 cup of sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 tbs. finely ground coffee or espresso
    • 4 tbs. unsalted butter – softened
    • 1/2 cup flour
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1 tbs. marmalade
    • 2 tsps. vanilla
    For the Topping:
    • 1 tbs. brown sugar
    • 6 sheets of graham crackers
    • 3 tbs. unsalted butter – softened
    • Handful of pretzels – about 10 or so

    Instructions

    For the Topping:

    • Place the brown sugar, graham crackers, pretzels and butter in a food processor and give a few good chops.

    For the Brownies:

    •  Preheat Oven 325 degrees F.
    • In a large bowl combine the brownie mix, ground coffee, sugar and butter.  Mix with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.  Add the eggs, vanilla, orange marmalade and water to the batter and mix until well combined.
    • Butter a 9 ½ inch pie plate or place parchment in the pie dish and place some of the topping at the bottom of the pan.  Fill with the brownie batter and place the rest of the topping on top.
    • Bake 45 – 50 minutes or until set.  The brownie pie will be gooey.

    Keywords: brownie pie, brownies, chocolate, fudge, coffee, espresso

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @LTGfood on Instagram and hashtag it #LTGfood

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    This post has been updated August 2022. The original recipe was published April 26, 2012.

    0

    Sweet Pies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. anniebakes says

      26/04/2012 at 1:46 pm

      these do look like a real treat! I never pass up a brownie, anne

      Reply
    2. Recetario Spanglish para mis hijos says

      26/04/2012 at 2:34 pm

      I´d like to have a couple of them for breakfast!!! Blessings

      Reply
    3. nazarina says

      26/04/2012 at 3:31 pm

      Oh yeah,

      I definitely need this sassy brownie in my repertoire.I was eyeballing those crumbs on the plate!

      Reply
    4. Lenia says

      26/04/2012 at 4:23 pm

      I would really enhoy this with my coffee!!!

      Reply
    5. Rose says

      26/04/2012 at 4:34 pm

      Just when you thought brownies couldn’t get any better, they did! Coffee, graham crackers…yum!

      Reply
    6. Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow says

      26/04/2012 at 4:38 pm

      Coffee and pretzels! What a wonderful addition to chocolate!! Thank you so much for your prayers dear Catherine! blessings ~ tanna

      Reply
    7. laurie says

      26/04/2012 at 5:02 pm

      oh my gosh, salty sweet wins hands down with me!!!

      Reply
    8. edvige says

      26/04/2012 at 5:31 pm

      Wonderful I will do in Italie is unknown. I’m yr follower, Have a nice week.

      Reply
    9. Pam says

      26/04/2012 at 6:45 pm

      They are definitely kicked up, Catherine. Pass the plate, please!!!

      Reply
    10. Jenn Kendall says

      26/04/2012 at 6:51 pm

      these brownies sound absolutely amazing…graham crackers? pretzels? awesome additions!

      Reply
    11. Gloria says

      26/04/2012 at 9:21 pm

      look really delicious Catherine!!

      Reply
    12. Chiara Giglio says

      26/04/2012 at 9:35 pm

      Look really amazing Catherine, i love brownies! have a good weekend….belessing my dear

      Reply
    13. Blondee says

      27/04/2012 at 12:29 am

      They sound delicious!

      Reply
    14. Joanne says

      27/04/2012 at 1:49 am

      It’s like a brownie streusel! so delicious!

      Reply
    15. Joyce Lansky says

      27/04/2012 at 2:08 am

      Another amazing thing I’m NOT eating.

      Catch My Words
      http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

      Reply
    16. Kim says

      27/04/2012 at 10:38 am

      Like these topped brownies, it sounds like a great addition. Looks good, good!

      Reply
    17. oferte alanya says

      27/04/2012 at 12:50 pm

      I`ve tried this recipe and i`m really impressed, it has a very good taste. My both child tried it and they like it a lot. Thanks a lot for sharing.

      Reply
    18. Janet Gardner says

      27/04/2012 at 2:06 pm

      Gotta try this, Brownies Kicked Up, love it!
      Have a good weekend,
      Hugs to you,
      Janet 🙂

      Reply
    19. Dining Alone says

      27/04/2012 at 3:33 pm

      Yum, I might kick these up a little more and add just a hint of cayenne! These look great.

      Reply
    20. Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef says

      28/04/2012 at 8:24 am

      My goodness don’t these look snappy! I could eat one of these right now. Maybe two 🙂

      Reply
    21. Magic of Spice says

      29/04/2012 at 9:32 pm

      How fun! These look delicious and I would not mind having one right about now 🙂

      Reply
    22. Claudia Lamascolo says

      23/08/2022 at 11:20 pm

      This is the best-tasting pie ever! What a brilliant idea to make a pie and has both my favorite that topping and chocolaty fudge brownie all in one dessert is genius. I will make this again soon everyone loved it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    23. DAVID J MYERS says

      24/08/2022 at 5:31 pm

      Catherine, Love this dessert creation. That contrasting topping would cut the rich flavors of the pie itself while adding other appealing taste and textural elements. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

      Reply
    24. Beth says

      24/08/2022 at 5:56 pm

      I can’t think of a better combination than coffee and chocolate. I put espresso in my brownies, my cakes, my pies. I put it in everything whether the recipe calls for it or not.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    25. Becky, Cuddle Fairy says

      25/08/2022 at 8:18 am

      Ooo I never heard of this recipe before, the pretzels in it are a stroke of genius!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    26. Samantha Donnelly says

      25/08/2022 at 9:54 am

      This combines two of my favourite things chocolate brownies and coffee, definitely something I would enjoy

      Reply
    27. Natasha Mairs says

      25/08/2022 at 11:35 am

      This looks and sounds amazing!! I have pinned it, so I can come back later and have a go at making it.

      Reply
    28. Scenery Mosaic Design says

      25/08/2022 at 1:47 pm

      omg your brownies look delicious…I’ve never had brownie espresso, I can’t wait to make your recipe.

      Reply
    29. Melanie E says

      25/08/2022 at 1:59 pm

      Oh wow, that sounds lovely and a bit different too. It would be perfect for my coffee cake loving friend. I must try to make this for her birthday. It sounds amazing x

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    30. Melissa Dixon says

      25/08/2022 at 2:52 pm

      Yum! This looks and sounds so good. I bet my whole family would love it.

      Reply
    31. Rhian Westbury says

      25/08/2022 at 2:53 pm

      I don’t think I’ve ever had like a brownie pie, I love the idea of a crumb on top. I really need to get baking again! x

      Reply
    32. Kat says

      26/08/2022 at 12:54 am

      You can’t go wrong coffee and chocolate. I am not a great baker, but it sure looks so delicious.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    33. AJ says

      26/08/2022 at 1:38 am

      This looks absolutely delicious! I don’t think I have ever heard of this before, I definitely need to try it out!! Thanks for sharing!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    34. Khushboo says

      26/08/2022 at 1:57 am

      Omg it looks really so yummy. My husband loves baking I am sure he will love to make this recipe.

      Reply
    35. Melissa Cushing says

      27/08/2022 at 1:59 pm

      My husband and his mom would love this! Making it today and pinning the recipe next 😉 Thank you for the delish recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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