Mocha Latte Brownies with Java House Cold Brew

I was sent products free of charge by Java House in exchange for an honest review.

Well hello there, my poorly neglected blog audience! I know it's been a hot minute since I last posted here. But what with the Insatgrams and the Twitters and such, I've needed to take some time off from this poor old blog to really understand what it is I liked about food blogging in the first place. And you know what? The truth is that I really missed discovering new things that give me the culinary tingles. So let's talk about one of those things, shall we?

I've been a big cold brew fan for a while now. This is mainly due to two factors: 1) I've become an absolute coffee addict in my 30's, and 2) I have a decent amount of regular acid reflux. Cold brewed coffee is less acidic than hot brewing, and I find that the smoother flavor generally appeals to my particular palate. From big chain coffee houses to my local cafe, whenever there's cold brew on offer, I'm very likely to order it.

I've tried cold brewing at home, but I can never seem to get a strong enough flavor for my liking. Generally, I end up having to buy a really expensive super dark roast just to get any sort of enjoyment out of it, and if I should want to add a splash or milk or a little flavor, the coffee just disappears into nothingness. This is why when Java House reached out and asked if I would like to try their liquid cold brew concentrate pods, I immediately said yes.

The Java House cold brew pods come in four varieties: Sumatran (dark roast), Colombian (medium roast), Ethiopian (light roast), and Decaf (medium roast). They are sized to fit into any K-Cup coffee machine, so you can actually enjoy them hot, cold, or anywhere in between. The cups contain a perfectly portioned amount of liquid cold brew concentrate, so you just need to add water to them (or shoot them straight, if you want to. I won't judge you. Actually I will. Add some water, you heathen). You actually don't even need a K-Cup machine to enjoy them because you can literally just crack them open and pour them into a mug or over ice. Or, if you're me, you can add them to some bourbon cream liquor and start your morning off right with a Kentucky Coffee Cocktail.

I very much liked the versatility of these little suckers, and the flavor on all the roasts was top notch. Of course, my favorite was the dark roast. Because I like my coffee black as my soul. But the others were perfectly enjoyable. If you happen to be down the K-Cup isle of your local grocery store, I would highly encourage you to pick up a box of these and give them a try.

Because I can't just make a cup of coffee and be happy, I decided I wanted to try using some of the Java House cold brew in a recipe. I've heard that adding coffee to brownies brings out the chocolatiness, so I did some experimenting and OH MY GOD. Best idea EVER! A basic brownie suddenly became the fudgiest little hunk of deliciousness to ever come out of my oven. Once again, I can't leave well enough alone, so I decided to pay homage to the coffee by giving my brownies a frothy topping to mimic the foam on a latte. This turned out so incredibly well that I am halfway tempted to quit my day job and start selling these suckers on a street corner like Famous Amos did with his cookies. Seriously, if you're a choco-holic like me, you have got to try these!

Mocha Latte Brownies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Java House Cold Brew Liquid Pods (any roast, but I prefer the Colombian for this)
1 cup flour

Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 packet of unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 Java House Liquid Cold Brew Pod (I prefer the Ethiopian for this)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. grease a 9x9 square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, and cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Add vanilla, cold brew pods, and eggs and again stir until smooth. Lastly, add in the flour and combine into a thick, smooth batter. Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until the top feels completely solid. Let cool to room temperature.

For the topping, add the heavy whipping cream to a pre-chilled bowl and whip with a stand or a hand mixer until the volume has doubled and soft peaks have begun to form. Set into the fridge to keep cold. In a small sauce pan, add the Java House cold brew pod and 2 tablespoons of cold water, then sprinkle the gelatin on the surface of the liquid and let sit for about 2-3 minutes. Heat up the liquid over medium heat. Once the gelatin is completely dissolved, add the sugar and stir until no more granules are left. Remove from heat. Bring out the chilled whipped cream and begin whipping again with a stand or a hand mixer. Slowly stream in the gelatin mixture. The cream will deflate some, but should begin to look foamy and glossy. Quickly spread the cream over the top of the brownies in an even layer, then cover the dish and set in the fridge to set up for a few hours or over night. Cut and serve.

From the Kitchens of Bunny and Brandy: Cinnamon Mocha Muffins and Hamilton Beach Giveaway!

Although Brandy is a notoriously prolific tea drinker, she does enjoy a good hot cup of coffee as well.  "Tea is life, but coffee is a life enhancer," as she likes to put it.  So when Hamilton Beach asked Brandy to give their latest innovation in coffee preparation a go, she stocked up on flavored creamers and prepared for a massive dose of caffine.

The FlexBrew 2 Way Coffee Maker was surprisingly light weight, making it easy to move from the kitchen to the breakfast nook and back, depending on Brandy's mood.  The side that made the full pot of coffee utilized a wire mesh reusable filter, which made the brewing process as simple as pressing a button.  The single cup side accepted both K-Cups and fresh grounds (with the use of the proper attachment) and took a few more steps in order to properly brew a cup of joe.  This side required a little more concentration, as one could easily over fill the water tank, forget to switch the function on the machine, or neglect to press down the bar that activated the single cup brew, but Brandy very much liked the adjustable stand that allowed one to use anything from a standard coffee mug to a tall travel cup.

Both sides also functioned very well for preparing hot water, should one want to make some tea in a hurry.  Brandy very much appreciated that the machine was programmable, so that if she so wished, she could wake up to a fresh brewed pot of coffee every morning.

Brandy had so much fun playing with her new toy that she soon found herself with a massive amount of freshly brewed coffee about the house.  "Well, might as well put some of this to good use!" she proclaimed.  Thinking of coffee cake (and how she had always been perplexed by the fact that coffee cake was not coffee flavored) Brandy came up with this recipe for some delicious, caffeinated muffins made with fresh brewed coffee to keep them perfectly moist.

Also, especially for her loyal fans, Brandy is giving away a Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 2-way Coffee Maker!  Check the widget below the recipe for full details on how to enter.  This giveaway will run until April 29th.  But don't worry if you don't win, because you can get your own Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 2-Way Coffee Maker at retailers like Walmart for only $89.

Cinnamon Mocha Muffins

For the topping:

1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 tablespoon of instant coffee granules
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 cup of flour
1/3 cup melted butter

For the Muffins:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon of instant coffee granules (optional if you want to intensify the coffee flavor)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of freshly brewed coffee
1/4 cup of softened butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 large egg

For the crumb topping: combine the brown sugar, white sugar, coffee granules, salt, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl, stir to combine, and then add the melted butter.  Continue to stir until the mixture takes on an even sandy texture, then spread on a cookie sheet and let dry while you prepare the muffins.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In one bowl, combine the flour, coffee granules, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a second bowl, cream the butter and sugar together, then add in the egg and vanilla.  When everything is combined into a smooth mixture, add in the coffee and milk and mix again.  Carefully fold the dry mixture into the liquid mixture, whisking away any lumps as you go and scraping down the sides of the bowl until the batter is smooth and even.

Spray the cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray (skip this step if using muffin papers).  Divide the batter into the twelve cups of the muffin tin.  Sprinkle a generous amount of the topping mix onto each muffin, making sure to break up any large clumps as you go, otherwise they will sink to the bottom of the batter as the muffins bake.  Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Let cool and serve.

The writers of this blog were provided with an appliance by Hamilton Beach in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

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