Description
Fudgy espresso brownies decorated with chocolate-cookie dirt and simple coated shortbread tombstones.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 8 oz (227 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs (200 g without shells)
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (6 g) instant espresso powder
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (64 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) fine salt
- 8 sturdy oval shortbread cookies (about 96 g)
- 6 oz (170 g) gray candy coating wafers
- 2 oz (57 g) dark chocolate, melted
- 6 chocolate sandwich cookies (about 68 g), finely crushed
- 2 tbsp (24 g) orange jimmies, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) metal pan with a parchment sling.
- Melt the butter and semisweet chocolate together in short microwave bursts, stirring until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in both sugars, then the eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder until glossy.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa, and salt. Fold only until no dry streaks remain. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 24–29 minutes, until a tester shows thick moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan.
- Melt the gray coating and dip the front of each shortbread cookie. Set on parchment. Once firm, pipe thin irregular crack lines with a little melted dark chocolate; do not add writing.
- Lift the brownie slab from the pan. Brush the top with the remaining melted dark chocolate and immediately cover it with the crushed sandwich cookies.
- Cut into 20 rectangles. Make eight narrow slots and insert the coated markers. Add orange jimmies if desired and serve.
Notes
For the cleanest slices, chill the decorated slab for 15 minutes and wipe the knife between cuts.