The Best Mocha Brownies

Hello everyone!

It's summertime, which means as the heat ramps up, the food cools down. As families and friends gather to grill up some hot dogs and hamburgers, these main dishes are generally served with a crisp salad, juicy fruit, and a chilled dessert to combat the summer heat wave. Which means that during my family's Fourth of July barbecue, I needed to bring out the big guns.

I made the BEST Mocha Brownies EVER.



Now I know what you're thinking - are these really the best?

Yes. 

The answer to your question is yes. 

The base is made of simple boxed brownie mix which is topped with a rich and fluffy mocha and Oreo mousse blend. The brownie is then finished off by a quick piping of whipped topping, which really ties the light and cool theme together. An absolute MUST if you're a coffee-lover looking to enjoy your favorite flavor in chilled dessert form.

If you're feeling a bit skeptical, I guess you'll just have to make some for yourself to try. It takes a few rounds of work to assemble, but it uses fairly basic ingredients that can be picked up on a quick trip to your neighborhood supermarket. Trust me, one bite of these and you're never going back to regular brownies again (and you'll be the star of any summer party if you bring these along with you!).

To make these brownies, you will need:

1 package brownie mix, plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies (eggs, water, oil)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup instant coffee granules
16 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided into halves
2 packages Jell-O cheesecake flavored instant pudding
20 Oreos

Start off by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees and greasing a 9x13 pan.

Begin by assembling your brownie base. As mentioned in the instructions, it's important to choose a boxed brownie that has the option to cook cake-like brownies. Usually, this means adding an extra egg to your batter, but each boxed mix is different.

Follow the instructions on the box and stir your ingredients together. Scoop them into your pan and place them in the oven to cook for as long as your package says.

This next step takes some patience on your part - when the brownie base has finished cooking, remove the pan and set it somewhere to cool completely before moving on to the mousse step. Otherwise, the whipped topping will melt into a soupy mess. This usually takes about 2 hours, but if you're in a hurry you can place the partially cooled pan into the fridge for the second hour to speed up the cooling time.

When your brownie base is ready, it's time to begin assembling your mousse. Start by mixing your instant coffee and milk in a large bowl until all the granules are dissolved. Then, add your cheesecake pudding mix.

Next, stir in 8 oz of the thawed whipped topping until fully combined into a light and creamy coffee mousse.

Now it's time to add the Oreos. If you have a food processor, you can blend them up into roughly chopped 1/2-inch crumbles. If you don't, place your cookies in a bag and crush them into pieces with a rolling pin.

Add these cookie pieces to your mousse and fold to combine. Then spoon the mousse onto your brownie and spread this heavenly layer across the surface. Be sure to lick the spatula after you're done - there's no use wasting any!

Next comes the additional whipped topping. If you're feeling fancy, you can use a cake decorator attachment for frosting to pipe your topping in fancy lines. If not, you can always use the eloquent and foolproof put-it-in-a-bag-and-cut-the-corner method.

Using whatever method you've chosen, pipe the whipped topping in diagonal lines across your brownies. Switch sides and pipe another set of diagonal lines going in the opposite direction, creating a diamond lattice pattern. Finish by piping a ring of whipped topping around the whole dish, covering up any stray ends.

Take a moment to admire the beauty of your coffee-cookie mousse...

...before digging in and cutting yourself a hefty slice.

Cool and creamy, infused with chocolate and mocha. Is there really anything else you need in life?

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Intelligentsia Coffee

Since coming back from Italy, I've been very attached to good espressos and cappuccinos. What can I say? I was spoiled rotten while I was there. Deliciously dark and creamy espresso for merely 1 or 1.5 euros. It was a dream come true.

Now that I'm back in the US (and in Chicago), I'm determined to find at least one coffee bar that matches up with the taste and quality of what I had in Italy.

Fortunately, Chicago happens to have a few Intelligentsia coffee shops scattered about the metro area. I popped in the other day to give it the once-over.

The black bags are their espresso, called Black Cat Espresso. I just love that name.

I went with my usual test - a cappuccino.

Detailed latte art.

 Time for the taste test.

Dark, frothy, and very very bold. Exactly how I like it. Not a replica of what I had in Italy (probably because the beans were from Africa and roasted in Germany) but still an excellent cappuccino. I can see why the place always seems to be full to the brim with patrons lining the bar. 
Also, I just found out that my new job serves Intelligentsia coffee. I think I may have found my favorite workplace ever..

Oh, and did I mention Emily was there?

Apparently Chicago is the place to be this summer for all the cool kids since she's here too. We spent the afternoon shopping and galavanting about town before we popped in for a quick recharge. And boy were we glad we did.

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Chicago - Yolk

As you've seen from my other posts, I love breakfast.
And what do I love more than breakfast?
Brunch.
Because brunch is just an excuse to have a triple-sized breakfast after 11 am.
What's there to dislike?
And several weeks ago, my good friends and fabulous cosplayers CourtoonXIII and Sirene told me that one of the best breakfast places in the world is Yolk.
Seeing as all three of their locations are in downtown Chicago, I made a point of dragging my family there during our trip.
And despite the wait at the door, I don't think they were disappointed.

Sunny sky blues and yolky yellows covered every surface and were enough to brighten up anyone's morning. 

As an avid follower of Restaurant Impossible, I can honestly say that Chef Robert Irvine and his designer Tanya would certainly approve of this sharp interior design.

Coffee and tea were plopped down promptly while we finalized our menu decisions.

Yolk literally has EVERYTHING on their menu - scrambles, crepes, omelettes, and every style of egg you could imagine. And almost every dish comes with a side of breakfast potatoes or fruit and toast or pancakes.
I had plenty of time to decided, but still found it hard to choose. Especially after looking at the pounds of delicious food being plopped down at tables nearby.

YUM.
Finally, we all decided, and the eggs came churning out.
First dish of choice - two eggs sunny side up over sausage biscuits and gravy with breakfast potatoes.

Can I just say - HOLY YOLK. I can see where this place gets its name - look at the size of those!
Then there was the meat-filled crepes with a side of potatoes and pancakes.

And my carnivorous choice: scrambled eggs with applewood smoked bacon, a side of breakfast potatoes, and a side of pancakes.

And now, a bacon close-up:

Delicious. Thick. Crispy edges. Perfection.
And, of course, the side of pancakes (which Yolk is famous for).

The entire meal was absolutely fantastic. Fresh, delicious, and just downright good. They didn't try to jazz up old classics with new spice blends or cooking methods - they used basic ingredients to make basic things really well.

And clearly, judging by their popularity, it's worked out pretty well so far.

So well, in fact, that my mom insisted on buying a tin of their pancake mix.

Just add water and you get a thick and frothy batter in seconds.

They fry up into extremely thick and fluffy cakes that cook to a golden-brown perfection.

Sweet, delicious, and totally easy.
Unfortunately, Yolk doesn't have an online store yet, but you MUST pop in if you find yourself in Chicago. It's definitely one of the best breakfasts you can ever eat.

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Chicago - The Ghirardelli Store

Last week I was on spring break, so my family and I popped down to Chicago for a bit.

a.k.a. Gotham City

Since I get most of my values from my family, you can probably guess that my family values food.
Especially chocolate.
And although I despise tourist traps, I have to bow down to the beacon of chocolatey heaven that is the Ghirardelli store.

As soon as you walk in, you're greeted with a warm hello and a single square of chocolate.

A few paces in, you'll find enormous bins filled with these squares and big 1/2 pound bags. Typically, there will be several women huddle around the bins, carefully considering each chocolate before snatching up several squares and putting them into their bags. And, of course, there's the pre-bagged chocolate.

I surveyed the chocolates while nibbling on my own, but not even the displays of chocolatey deliciousness could distract me from the main attraction.
The SMELL.
Ghirardelli has a menu of signature sundaes and shakes, which means they make their own waffle cones. The smell of those things baking fill the room with sugary sweetness that reminds me of summer trips to the ice cream parlor.
Unfortunately, seeing as my family and I were going to go eat dinner in 2 hours, I didn't treat myself to one of the glorious looking sundaes being served to patrons all around me.

(I also couldn't grab a pic without looking like an extreme creeper)
Fortunately, I found this little beauty online. It's a picture-perfect example of what I was seeing roll out from behind the counter.

image from Tumblr

But, I did grab a coffee and my mom grabbed a croissant - a nice afternoon snack.

And I know I said I hate tourists traps, usually because they're busy, crowded, and have enormous lines for food, but the Ghirardelli store on a weekday was incredibly calm and normal. Instead of feeling like a hotspot off of Michigan Avenue, it had a corner ice cream and coffee shop feel.
With a lot more chocolate ;)

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Afternoon Toast

Since Mallory and I can't go more than a few days without eating brunch, we decided to meet up over our Spring Break for a bite to eat in Birmingham and some shopping.

She recommended Toast, a small restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a retro setting. 

I liked the place as soon as I stepped in and was greeted with this picture.

Someone please tell me where I can pick one of these up for my house?

Mallory looked very excited as she browsed the breakfast menu (which they serve till 3 pm!)

I was just as enamored by their specialty coffee offerings. Any place that has a portion of the menu devoted to coffee is alright in my book.

Once we were given eclectic mugs full of warm coffee and fully immersed in the brunch options, we ordered our food.

I must say, as much as I hate spending money on breakfast food (since I can usually make it myself for cheaper), I absolutely LOVE eating breakfast out. The enjoyment of having a smorgasbord of potatoes, perfectly crisped buttery toast, mugs upon mugs of coffee, and everything covered in runny egg yolks is enough to make me spend the extra bucks to eat out.

Which is why I ordered this:

Eggs benedict and bacon on toasted sourdough with tomatoes and a side of breakfast potatoes. A-Ma-Zing.

Mallory got this fantastically beautiful omelette with potatoes and toast.

And how was it? Here's a hint.

Before:

After:

That's what I call taking care of business.

After stuffing ourselves full of eggs and caffeine, we made our way around Birmingham, flitting in and out of shops. I hadn't been down there in awhile, so it was nice to be able to see all the new shops the city has to offer.

While browsing, we came across an old-fashioned candy store. And since I'm actually 4 years old, I had to go inside to check it out.

My favorite part of the store was these little jelly bean bags wrapped up to look like cupcakes. So cute and such an easy gift idea for a candy lover!

If you're feeling the buzz of spring and looking to spend some time walking around, try going to Birmingham! Nothing puts me in a better mood than brunch and shopping.

Except may be second brunch and shopping.

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