There’s a sort of opportunity cost decision you make when you choose an ingredient that’s store-bought vs. home made. The usual rule of thumb is anything made from scratch tastes better. I believe that is true 95% of the time. However in some circumstances… making it yourself doesn’t make any actual difference in the taste. Or the difference is so slight that it doesn’t justify your time. The base of this dessert is a prime example. I used a basic Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix for these brownie bites. Brownie mixes are great on their own, you don’t need to make them from scratch. Save your time for other noble causes…
Since coffee and chocolate go so well together, I decided to create this recipe using a brownie batter baked in mini muffin tins and topped with an espresso flavored buttercream.
When filling the mini muffin tins, be sure to either line them with baking cups or spray them generously with cooking spray. I had a few I didn’t spray well enough and they fell apart while I was trying to get them out of the tins. I do think they display better without baking cups though.
Once they are out of the oven and cooled slightly, carefully pop them out of the tin, and let them finish cooling completely on a wire rack. The frosting is a basic buttercream with instant espresso added as well as a couple tablespoons of coffee.
And here’s a blooper photo for fun… this is what the reality of baking and blogging is when you have 2 curious dogs!
Brownie Bites with Espresso Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 box Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp water
Espresso Buttercream Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- 2 tbsp instant espresso
- 1 tbsp coffee room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and either line mini muffin tins with baking cups or spray with baking spray generously. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the brownie mix, vegetable oil, water, and eggs with a whisk until combined. Spoon the batter into the mini muffin tins using a small cookie scoop. Fill about 3/4 full, no more or they will overflow.
- Bake for 16-19 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out (relatively) clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes then remove the brownies from the tin and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the brownies are cooled, combine all frosting ingredients in a large bowl and use a hand mixer to whip into frosting. Start beating on low speed for 1-2 minutes, then finish mixing on high speed for 2-3 minutes. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and attach desired piping tip. Pipe icing on the brownies generously. Serve or store at room temperature up to 4 days in an air tight container.
