Sunday, December 1, 2013

Kahlua Brownie Kisses

Kahlua Brownie Kisses

Receiving the motivation I needed a few weeks back, I've kicked myself into the holiday spirit.  According to Liv, there are moms out there (and apparently I wasn't one of them..) who allegedly make the holidays super fun with their sheer joy in everything holiday.  Well... starting with Halloween I've been working on my attitude.  We had Halloween decorations and desserts to share, and then moved smoothly into Thanksgiving with family and friends and a home filled with fabulous food cheer.


Homemade Kahlua
Click for Homemade Kahlua recipe
Transitioning to the somewhat shortened Christmas season, I'm hereby making the most of these few short weeks with the house sporting its holiday finest, spirited baking adventures in the kitchen and gift wrapping already in progress.

I have to admit that the gift planning part is one of my favorite activities of the holiday season, and finding that perfect gift for those I'm thankful to have in my life truly brings joy to my heart. 

And now, I have these fabulous Kahlua Brownie Kisses featuring a splash of this year's fresh batch of Homemade Kahlua.  Rich, chocolaty and somewhat irresistible, these little kisses are the perfect treat for a holiday get together or a last minute hostess gift.  See below for the recipe.

A wonderful way to share a taste of holiday cheer, these ultra luscious and Kahlua laced ganache brings a lovely topping to these rich, fudgy brownies.  Easy to make and a definitely a chocolate lover's dream, these kisses make a fabulous addition to any holiday platter and will bring a smile to the face of someone special.


Kahlua Brownie Kisses


Kahlua Brownie Kisses
The description of these brownies on Fine Cooking mentions the richness, and therefore suggests cutting into small pieces.  I completely agree on the small pieces as it makes me feel less guilty as I reach for seconds!  Don't have Kahlua?  You can make your own with our Homemade Kahlua Recipe.
Adapted from Fine Cooking
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Brownies:
2 cups (9 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (3/4 lb) unsalted butter
1 cup (3 oz.) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp freshly ground espresso beans
2 Tbs Kahlua or coffee flavored liquor (Or sub 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)

Ganache:
1/2 cup whipping cream
5 1/2 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped 

1/4 tsp vanilla extract  

2-3 Tbs Kahlua or coffee liquor
Tip:
For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 oz.) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups.
For the Brownies:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325° F.  Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, allowing the edges to hang over the edge of the pan for easy removal.  Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the foil.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to blend.

In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth.  Whisk in the brown sugar until blended.  One at a time, add 3 of the eggs, whisking until just blended.  With the last egg, whisk in the coffee liquer and 2 tsp ground espresso beans.

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture, stirring until just blended.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.

Place into the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few small, moist clumps sticking to it, about 30 minutes. (Don't overbake, or the squares won't be fudgy).  Transfer the pan to a rack to let cool completely.  Gently pulling on the foil "handles" remove the brownies from the pan.  Peel the foil away from the brownies and place on a cutting board that is larger than the brownies.


For the topping:
Bring cream to a simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat.  Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/4 tsp vanilla and Kahlua.  Refrigerate until thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. 

Spread topping over brownies. Refrigerate until topping is cold, about 1 hour.
Remove from oven and using a hot knife, carefully cut the brownies into squares.  Let brownies stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!!
Kahlua Brownie Kisses

27 comments:

  1. These look amazing!!! A gluten-free makeover is definitely in the works :-) So happy to be spreading a little holiday cheer with you this year Kim and I hope you and your family have a FABULOUS and festive holiday season! xo

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    1. I'm eager to see the GF makeover!! Wishing you a fabulous holiday as well... stay warm! ;)

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  2. "What do you like about this food blog and why?" - well, the recipes of course, but what I love about this blog is that Kim is a genuinely caring person. You can feel the love she has for her family and friends in each post.

    These brownies look amazing and you have really brought back a memory for me because my grandmother used to make homemade Kahlua. Wishing you and your family every happiness this holiday season.

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    1. My dear Felice... you made my day!!! Thank you! And much love to you and your family too!

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  3. These look delicious Kim, will be trying them for sure!
    Kim S.

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    1. Enjoy Kim!! I have Kahula if you need it!! ;)

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  4. Spreading holiday cheer! I've never made homemade Kahlua but it sounds sooo delicious, I'm definitely going to give it a try. Plus, these luscious brownies would definitely be met with huge smiles :) xoxo

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  5. What a delicious treat for the holidays Kim! I haven't had Kahlua in years, but I fondly remember it!

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  6. I love that you include so many great photos with your recipes.

    KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile

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  7. These look delicious, the kahlua sounds so good in the brownie. Will try.
    What a lovely giveaway.

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  8. Love the recipes especially the Kahlua Brownie Kisses.

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  9. the combination of both recipes and life

    fruitcrmble AT Comcast DOT net

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  10. I love hearing about your trips and also the great food recipes.

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  11. LivLife has awesome food recipes and beautiful pictures! klp56@live.com Kelly

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  12. Kahlua is one of my favorite flavors. Adding it to chocolate sounds so good! These look delicious!

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  13. These sound absolutely delicious! I love seeing the variety of recipes you share here!

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  14. I'm a sucker for dessert, so I love all our recipes for sweet treats! Also, you provide such great photo instructions with each recipe, and it makes it super easy to cooking/baking dilettantes like me. Great giveaway!

    xo,
    Stephanie
    Diary of a Debutante
    www.stephanieziajka.blogspot.com

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  15. LOOVE this giveaway and those brownies!! To die for!

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  16. Hi Kim: SO much fun to be doing this giveaway with you - and those brownies look AMAZING! Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
    xo
    Jeanne

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  17. I've been following for a while and flagging some great recipes to try, but for today, what I like about this blog is that you're offering an opportunity to win a mini iPad of course! ;)

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    1. Just FYI, on some sites this is apparently an issue, while on others it's not - I am following each blog via Facebook, but through my blog's page rather than my personal page, so I'm following as Hye Thyme Cafe. I do my best to consolidate my foodie-related activities to my blog's pages. :)

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  18. Yummm!!! I'll be making these for Christmas!

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    1. What I love about this blog is this Kahlua recipe today!

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  19. I love all the yummy recipes!

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  20. I like all the recipes, they give me lots of good idea's.

    rounder9834 @yahoo.com

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  21. You have no idea how incredible this looks! Though that's clearly not true (I'm sure you have every idea how incredible these brownies look--and taste, for that matter). I've been on a Kahlua kick recently, so this will be perfect. As a Southern Cali blogger myself, your group sounds super swell :) How did you gals come up with the idea? Communities are fantastic. Love it!

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