There’s honestly nothing better than a good brownie. And a great brownie? Well, that is almost too much to handle. This tiramisu brownie, friends, is a great brownie. So great that I said “wow” when I first bit into it. So did my assistant. We couldn’t get enough.
Rebe came home later that day, and she was blown away by how good they were, too. Two nights later we were sitting on the couch and I said “you know… we still have brownies left over.”
“Those brownies?” she asked?
Like, they’re freaking winners.
How I created these tiramisu brownies
Let’s break it down.
I came up with my new favorite brownie base. You see, when you’re making a brownie with frosting on top, you have to treat it differently than when making a naked brownie. With frosting-topped brownies, you need to make sure your brownies aren’t too thick, and that they provide a no-frills, yet perfectly delicious base for that delectable frosting.
These brownies fit that criteria. They’re so rich that they could be mistaken for fudge. Just how I like ’em. In the brownies I used a few dashes of DeLallo’s instant espresso powder. It was like using an extract, only easier. The flavor was the right amount of mocha without tasting bitter.
In keeping with the classic tiramisu flavors (coffee & cream), on top I made a whipped cream and cream cheese frosting. It’s light and airy from the whipped cream, but tangy and rich from the cream cheese.
Of course, what’s a tiramisu without a dusting of espresso? I used my handy instant espresso powder for a gorgeous coffee finish. Because it’s unsweetened espresso powder, these brownies have a great bite to them. It offsets the sweetness of the brownies wonderfully.
Tips for making tiramisu brownies
Slightly under bake the brownies — Like I said before, you don’t want these brownies to be too fudgy otherwise they can’t stand up to the frosting. But you don’t want them too cakey either, because that’s just sad. To tell when it’s time to take these homemade brownies out of the oven, insert a knife into the center of the pan. If it comes out mostly clean, you’re good to take these babies out.
Let the brownies cool completely — I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it again. You have to wait for the brownies to cool completely to room temperature before frosting them. If you try frosting a warm brownie, the cream cheese frosting will slide right off.
Store these in the fridge — Because these tiramisu brownies have a whipped cream frosting, you’ll want to keep them in the fridge. I’m afraid the frosting would melt otherwise!
Oh brownies, I will love you forever. Honestly, I may have brownies at my wedding instead of a cake. Not that I’m planning that yet, but just thinking about it, and who wouldn’t be excited to have brownies at a wedding?!
Happy Friday, everyone. Hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8″x8″ square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter for 30 seconds. Remove, stir in chocolate chips, and microwave for an additional 10-15 seconds, until both butter and chocolate are fully melted. Allow to cool slightly.
Whisk in brown sugar and egg by hand for 1 minute, until the mixture looks shiny. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, and espresso powder, then mix dry ingredients into wet.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the brownies comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting
In a standing mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove from bowl and set aside.
In the same bowl, whip cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Turn mixer to low speed and carefully add in the whipped cream. Mix until just combined.
Spread whipped frosting over brownies, then dust with additional espresso powder (I used a fine mesh strainer to dust!).
Hi Sarah and Sofi,
I’m wondering – this was written in 2016 – did Sarah in fact serve these at her wedding??
Glad I came across this while saving the amazing-looking Tiramisu Layer Cake recipe. One can’t
have too much Tiramisu, right? Thanks for all your good recipes!
Can’t wait to tryout this receipe for mother’s day! Tiramisu is my mom’s FAVORITE. How many calories are in these beauties per slice and how many brownies does the recipe make?? THANKS!!!
Hey the recipe looks lovely and the taste of the batter is so good. I’m going wrong somewhere in making those as my brownies don’t stick together. Also I didn’t use eggs since I’m allergic to them. How do I fix it?
This recipe is awesome and so quick to make too.
Hey Vaish! Oh no! If you left out eggs that’s probably why the batter seems too dry! I would recommend using a flax egg to replace the eggs! Simply mix together 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2 tablespoons of water and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes to gel up! Just add that to your brownie batter when the recipe directs you to and you should be all set 🙂
Sadly, this recipe did not work for me at all. I followed the instructions to the T, and the brownies turned out extremely gritty. I tried it one more time in case I missed something, but it still didn’t work out, and the brownies were still really gritty. Maybe I should have tried to cream the butter with some white sugar rather than brown sugar first? I don’t know. Either way, the brownies didn’t turn out well at all, even after two times.
Hey Laura! It sounds like your butter, sugar, and egg mixture didn’t emulsify! Basically the sugar should dissolve and break down into the butter, getting rid of any grittiness! It’s also possible that your cocoa powder might be extra gritty. We really love Rodelle’s cocoa powder–what kind are you using? Hoping we can help!
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
Hi Sarah and Sofi,
I’m wondering – this was written in 2016 – did Sarah in fact serve these at her wedding??
Glad I came across this while saving the amazing-looking Tiramisu Layer Cake recipe. One can’t
have too much Tiramisu, right? Thanks for all your good recipes!
Can’t wait to tryout this receipe for mother’s day! Tiramisu is my mom’s FAVORITE. How many calories are in these beauties per slice and how many brownies does the recipe make?? THANKS!!!
★★★★★
Hi Maranatha! I’m not sure how many calories there are because we don’t calculate them! The recipe makes 16 brownies 🙂 Hope your mom enjoyed these!
Hey the recipe looks lovely and the taste of the batter is so good. I’m going wrong somewhere in making those as my brownies don’t stick together. Also I didn’t use eggs since I’m allergic to them. How do I fix it?
This recipe is awesome and so quick to make too.
Hey Vaish! Oh no! If you left out eggs that’s probably why the batter seems too dry! I would recommend using a flax egg to replace the eggs! Simply mix together 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2 tablespoons of water and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes to gel up! Just add that to your brownie batter when the recipe directs you to and you should be all set 🙂
Sadly, this recipe did not work for me at all. I followed the instructions to the T, and the brownies turned out extremely gritty. I tried it one more time in case I missed something, but it still didn’t work out, and the brownies were still really gritty. Maybe I should have tried to cream the butter with some white sugar rather than brown sugar first? I don’t know. Either way, the brownies didn’t turn out well at all, even after two times.
★★
Hey Laura! It sounds like your butter, sugar, and egg mixture didn’t emulsify! Basically the sugar should dissolve and break down into the butter, getting rid of any grittiness! It’s also possible that your cocoa powder might be extra gritty. We really love Rodelle’s cocoa powder–what kind are you using? Hoping we can help!
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