Espresso Brownies: When All Others Taste Inferior

Coffee lovers know how delicious a nice, hot cup of coffee can be, but many are delighted to learn that coffee can also be used in cooking.

Although commonly used as an ingredient in desserts, coffee can also be used in chili, barbecue sauces and meat glazes. A hint of ground coffee bean can even add to a pot roast.

With any recipe, freshness is important so you will want to opt for freshly ground beans or even grind your own. If it is brewed coffee you need, be sure you brew it just before you will need it and brew it with filtered water. Inferior brewing will result in inferior cooking results. Also, keep in mind that most recipes call for coffee that is sometimes three times stronger than that prepared for drinking. Let's take a look at some of the possibilities.

Coffee Meatloaf Sauce: Australian meatloaf is becoming a popular dish beyond Australia and, if you have tried it, this should come as no surprise. To make the sauce, add one tablespoon of instant coffee to one-fourth cup of water, a half cup of ketchup and one-fourth cup each of Worcestershire sauce and a dry red. Then, mix in two tablespoons of lemon juice, some brown sugar, two tablespoons of vinegar and one ounce of margarine to complete the sauce mixture. Once the meat has cooked for thirty minutes, add the sauce and bake for at least another forty-five minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Espresso Brownies: If you have been looking for a brownie recipe that will make others taste inferior, then you need to try this one. Heat one cup of sugar, one quarter teaspoon of salt and one and a half sticks of butter in a sauce pan. Then, stir four ounces of semi-sweet chocolate (chopped) and one teaspoon of vanilla until thoroughly melted. Add one tablespoon of a ground dark-roast, or try two teaspoons of espresso grounds as an alternative. Continuing stirring until the mixture is nicely blended. Transfer to a mixing bow where it can cool for several minutes, but while still fairly warm, fold in three eggs, one cup of flour and pour the entire mixture into a baking pan. Bake for thirty minutes, after which you should let it cool and then enjoy!

Black Russian Cake: Here is a delicious recipe for chocolate cake. First, add one cup of vegetable oil to a quality dark chocolate cake mix, as well as one package of instant chocolate pudding, one-half cup of crme de cacao and four eggs. Then, add one cup of Russian coffee which itself consists of a half ounce of Kahlua, one ounce of vodka and five ounces of hot black coffee. Then, beat the mixture until smooth, pour into a tube shaped baking pan and bake for forty-five minutes at a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, remove the cake and eat up!

These are only a few of the many possibilities when it comes to cooking with coffee. Many different food items can be enhanced by adding even a little coffee, including cookies, breads, candy and muffins. Oh, and we cannot leave out the mocha flavored ice cream, another popular treat laced with the delicious flavor of coffee. The possibilities are quite endless, in fact.