Allison's Mocha Brownies

I think I have mentioned my friend Allison Harbertson's cooking before. Well she has done it again. She made these brownies for our book club, and they were the best brownies I think I have ever tasted. I am making them right now and the house is filled with their amazing aroma. Please make these brownies. You will not be disappointed. The frosting is mocha flavored and so yes you have to use coffee. If you aren't a coffee drinker then that is an issue you need to deal with. JK. I love coffee and anything coffee flavored. Enjoy.

Servings: Over 8
Difficulty: easy
Cook time: 30-60 min

For brownies:
Four 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate (I just discovered these packets of melted unsweetened packets of chocolate on the baking aisle made by Nestle) Also I learned that bittersweet chocolate can be used as a substitute for unsweetened chocolate.
2 sticks of butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs (If you don't have your own chickens buy Oakdale eggs. They are wonderful)
3 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For Mocha icing:
2 sticks butter softened
5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I love the special dark cocoa powder)
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 to 3/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
To make the brownie batter, place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Melt the chocolate. Be careful not to burn it. Set aside to cool. If you buy those packets of pre melted chocolate you can skip the melting instructions.
In a medium bowl cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the melted chocolate. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
Add the flour to the bowl and mix until combined. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into the baking pan. Spread it to even out the surface. Bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes until the center is no longer soft. Set the brownies aside to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, in a large mixing bowl combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla. Mix until slightly combined, then add 1/2 cup of the coffee. Whip until the icing is the desired consistency. If the icing is overly thick, add 1/4 cup more coffee. It should be very light and fluffy.

Ice the cooled brownies, spreading the icing on thick. Refrigerate until the icing is firm, then slice the brownies into squares.

If you don't have the set up to make coffee, you might be able to use instant coffee.

Thanks Allison and The Pioneer Woman cookbook!