First the rich smell of coffee and chocolate wafts from the scullery...and soon the cabana boys start their rounds through the Mansion, offering trays of coffee toffee brownies accompanied by tall glasses of cold milk, or mugs of steaming coffee, or (magically) the beverage of each resident's choice...
And down in the Scullery, after chatting happily for an hour or so with Scullery Maid and her sidekick, a flour-dusted figure wipes her hands on a red/royal/purple handwoven towel and steps back to ask..."Would JR approve of the kitchen yet?" -- yes, I think so...before heading off to her spinning wheel which is adorned with a roving of Romney/mohair (hunter and dark blue respectively) and the ever-alluring Regia on bamboo dpn's.
Definitely more waving of those pointy sticks tonight.....
Coffee Toffee Brownies
Source: King Arthur Flour catalog, Winter 2002
3/4 cup unsalted butter
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 each eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup unbleached flour
Icing and Topping
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules
1 tablespoon hot water
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk, or more if needed
1/2 cup Skor bits, or more if desired
1. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Over medium heat, or in microwave, melt together butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth. Stir in cocoa and espresso powder.
3. In mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until light colored. Add vanilla and salt. Stir in chocolate mixture. Then stir in baking powder and flour until just blended.
4. Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 34 to 38 minutes, until the top is shiny but the middle is still soft. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes before icing.
5. Icing: In a medium-sized bowl, mix the espresso powder and hot water, then stir in the sugar and milk. Spread icing over the brownies and then sprinkle with toffee bits. Cool the brownies for several hours before cutting into squares.
Amy's notes: I used European-style unsalted butter (25% higher fat), Scharfen-Berger 70% Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Scharfen-Berger Cocoa (natural), vanilla sugar (sugar stored with vanilla beans), Penzey's Double-Strength Vanilla and kosher salt, in quantities specified by recipe.