Espresso Bars

picture from the williams-sonoma website.
I love the website of Williams-sonoma. Their recipes are soo easy and the results look soo impressive.

I've been making these espressobars twice, and like them. The first time i thought they were a bit dry, so i added another egg. Still not moist enough for me, as i like my brownies fudgy, and so my cake. I want more chocolate in it too, so i'll add just as much chocolate as butter next time. So next time i'll make them i'll wisk the egg-sugar mixture till it is really fluffy, and than put in the butter/chocolate, and than i'll put in the flour cocoa, and only gently stir them in, not wisk or whatever, because that might make them more cakey/dry, which i don't like. Anyways. The recipe is really easy to make, and they are soo impressive.

So this is the changed recipe

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process
cocoa powder
3 Tbs. instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into pieces
3 eggs
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt

18 chocolate-covered espresso beans (optional)



Preheat an oven to 350°F. Generously grease an 8-inch square baking pan. I like to line my pan with parchmentpaper and let the paper hang over the sides so you can easy lift the cake out of the pan.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside.

In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until very fluffy, milkshake consistancy. Very carefully stir in the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the vanilla, then add the flour mixture and stir until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and the center is springy to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. You can keep the cake easely for about three days without the icing, make sure to wrap well.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and espresso powder and heat, stirring, just until the powder is dissolved and bubbles start to appear around the pan edges. Add the chocolate and salt, remove from the heat and stir just until the chocolate is melted. Let cool to room temperature.

Spread the glaze over the cake. This goes really easy with a spatula. Refrigerate until the glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Cut through the middle of the cake, cut each side in 3 long strips, and slice each long strip in 3 pieces.
I normally put each bar in a muffinliner, for a pretty presentation, and it makes it easier to eat because the chocolate/espresso layer tempts to melt to your fingers while eating...