Tex-Mex Brownies

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Take an 8×8-inch baking pan and flip it over so the bottom faces up. Take a piece of aluminum foil larger than the pan and mold the foil over the bottom of the pan. Remove the foil, flip the pan right side up and insert the folded foil into the pan, smoothing out the sides and corners, making sure to have an overhang on at least 2 sides. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. If you don’t want to use this technique, grease and flour the pan. Set the pan aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cayenne pepper and instant espresso, then set the the mixture aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate extract (if using). Add the chocolate mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and well blended.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon. Add this to the chocolate/egg mixture and stir just until everything is combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 325ºF for 30 minutes or until the brownies are firm and set in the center. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the cooked brownies. Let sit until the chips melt. What I do is put the pan back in the oven with the door open and the oven shut off. It only takes 1–2 minutes for those chips to soften. Once the chocolate chips are soft, take a small offset spatula and spread the chocolate evenly over the brownies. Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack. Make sure the chocolate is set before cutting.

If using foil in the pan, lift the brownies from the pan with the foil “handles”, peel the foil away from the bottom of the brownies and place them on a cutting board. Use a long sharp knife that is run under hot water and dried after each slice and cut the brownies into 16 (2-inch) squares. Makes 16 brownies.

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Lovers Cookies and Brownies.