Super fudgy brownies topped with a creamy coffee buttercream frosting, rich chocolate ganache, and crunchy bits of Heath toffee!
I’m often asked how I’m able to come up with so many dessert ideas. Honestly, when you’re as ridiculously obsessed with anything sweet as I am, it’s not that difficult. However, sometimes I’ll get inspiration from a certain dessert or treat. In fact, last week I bought some delicious ice cream bars which consisted of a coffee-flavored ice cream, coated in chocolate and toffee bits. It was definitely a winning combination!
ERGO, I decided to take that brilliant combo and applied it to this UBER delicious brownie…
These ultra fudgy brownies aretopped with a dreamy layer of coffee buttercream, rich chocolate ganache, and crispy crunchy toffee bits! With so many heavenly layers in one treat, you definitely CANNOT go wrong with this brownie.
While there are multiple layers involved, these Coffee Toffee Brownies are quite simple to throw together. Moreover, the brownies themselves are an easy peasy one-bowl recipe. That means fewer dishes for you to wash. Hooray!!
To make the brownies, you’ll start by heating some butter in a saucepan until it’s completely melted. Then you’ll stir in some cocoa powder. Whenever I’m making brownies, I prefer to use darker dutch-processed cocoa powders. Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder is my go-to since it adds a much deeper richness to the brownies as opposed to natural unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s also super inexpensive compared to the other “fancier” dutch-processed cocoa powders, and you can find it in most grocery stores.
Once the cocoa powder is combined with the butter, both brown and granulated sugar are stirred in, followed by the eggs and vanilla. After the dry ingredients are incorporated, the batter is poured into a 8-inch square baking dish that’s been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Lining the baking pan with parchment paper makes it so much easier to lift the brownies from the pan and cut them into perfect squares. It might seem like a frivolous step, but it’s absolutely key for creating perfectly-cut brownies.
These brownies bake in the over for 25-28 minutes. Once they’re out of the oven, allow them to cool COMPLETELY so that the coffee buttercream doesn’t melt when you spread it on top.
Speaking of coffee buttercream…
The first step to making the buttercream is combining some heavy cream with a little instant espresso powder. Since I’m not the biggest coffee drinker, I decided to start off small–1 teaspoon, to be exact. That seemed to be the perfect amount since it didn’t make the buttercream taste bitter, and it really helped to complement the flavor of the chocolate in both the brownies and the ganache.
After you’ve beaten some butter and powdered sugar together, the espresso-cream mixture is added. Oh, and if you don’t have heavy cream, you can also use milk. I prefer heavy cream since it makes the buttercream much lighter and provides a nice whipped consistency. To balance out the flavors, a splash of vanilla is also added to the buttercream.
If your brownies have cooled completely, you can go ahead and slather the coffee buttercream on top. Now it’s time to work on the ganache!
Just like the brownies and the buttercream, the ganache could not be any easier. Just heat the heavy cream (either on the stove, or in your microwave if you prefer less dirty dishes), then pour over some chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before stirring it all together until silky smooth. I usually allow the ganache to cool to room temperature before pouring it over the brownies, so that it doesn’t melt the buttercream layer.
At this point, you can sprinkle the toffee bits on top. However, BEFORE you serve the brownies, place them into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow all of the layers to set up. This will make things a lot less messier when you lift them out of the the pan, and cut them into squares.
And seeing as these are COFFEE Toffee Brownies, I’m pretty sure you can justify popping one of these into your mouth for breakfast…
Coffee Toffee Brownies
Super fudgy brownies topped with a creamy coffee buttercream frosting, rich chocolate ganache, and crunchy bits of Heath toffee!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 28 minutes mins
Chilling Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 2 hours hrs 18 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 Pieces
Ingredients
Brownies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Espresso Buttercream:
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ¼ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Ganache:
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Heath toffee bits
Instructions
Make the Brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth and glossy. Whisk in both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla, stirring until fully incorporated. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the flour, salt, and baking soda.
Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25-28 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
Combine the heavy cream and espresso powder in a small bowl; set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, and continue beating until full incorporated.
Add the vanilla and heavy cream-espresso mixture, and continue beating the buttercream until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Spread evenly onto the cooled brownies.
Make the Ganache:
Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl; set aside. Pour heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat on the stove over medium-high heat. Once it starts to simmer, immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, and stir until smooth. Allow ganache to cool to room temperature before pouring on top of the frosted brownies.
Once cooled enough, spread the ganache evenly on top of the brownies. Sprinkle the chopped Heath toffee bits on top. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the layers to set up.
Slice into squares, serve, and enjoy! Brownies will stay fresh sealed tightly in a plastic container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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