espresso brownies

another recipe from giada...i am on a kick! made these this afternoon partly because kevin is out of town (he can't tolerate anything coffee), but mostly for a friend who just had a baby. thought these seemed fitting for a sleep-deprived new mama, no? anyway, they're kinda fancy (but they're from a box) and if you like coffee, i think you'd like 'em!


giada's espresso brownies 
1/3 cup plus 2 T water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 T + 2 t espresso powder (instant espresso)
1 box brownie mix (such as duncan hines)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 T butter, room temp

preheat oven to 350 and grease 9x9.
whisk together 1/3 cup of the water, the oil, eggs and 2 T of the espresso powder in large bowl. add the brownie mix and stir until well blended. stir in the chocolate chips. pour into pan and bake 30-35 minutes. let brownies cool completely in pan.

when they've cooled, dissolve the remaining 2 t of espresso powder in the remaining 2 T of water in a medium bowl. whisk in vanilla, then add powdered sugar and butter and whisk until smooth. with the brownies still in the pan, pour the glaze over the brownies and refrigerate until set (about 2 hours). cut into bite-size pieces, arrange them on a platter and serve.

enjoy :)