Leftover Espresso Grounds Brownies
Leftover Espresso Grounds Brownies, a rich fudgy brownie recipe made with leftover espresso grounds. Reuse those coffee grounds for a deliciously moist chocolaty treat!
While I’m a chocolate connoisseur, there is one thing I do love more: coffee. But what I don’t love about coffee is throwing out the perfectly good coffee grounds each and every day.
So recently I challenged myself to experiment in the kitchen with espresso grounds to see how I could create recipes that would reuse the grounds that would typically go to waste. And that’s how these moist and rich Leftover Espresso Grounds Brownies were born.
Do you have leftover coffee grounds that are begging to be saved from the compost bin and reused? Then look no further, this food waste rescue recipe will put those grounds to work!
Are you ready to learn how to make this homemade espresso brownie recipe? Let’s do it!
How to make Leftover Espresso Grounds Brownies
First you will preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare an 8 inch by 8 inch pan with either oil or line with parchment paper, then set aside until brownie batter is ready.
Next you will melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, then slowly stir in the chopped bittersweet chocolate. Stir continuously until the chocolate is melted, but be careful to keep heat low so the chocolate does not burn.
Add brown sugar and espresso grounds to a large mixing bowl and then slowly pour in melted chocolate and mix with a handheld mixer (alternatively you can also use a KitchenAid mixer). Add in your eggs one at a time until the mixture is well combined, then add in cocoa powder, flour, salt, vanilla, and espresso (or coffee) and mix until smooth.
Finally, pour the batter into the pan and baker for about 30-35 minutes, or until your fork comes out mostly clean from the center of the brownie pan.
For the chocolate drizzle topping, melt chocolate in a small sauce pan and drizzle over brownies in the pan after baking and sprinkle with espresso grounds. Then enjoy this deliciously rich mixture of coffee and chocolate!
To save coffee or espresso grounds: save coffee or espresso grounds in a small airtight container stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Leftover Espresso Grounds Brownies: Tips, tricks, and tools
This coffee brownie recipe is super simple to make, but there are a few tips and tricks to streamline preparation:
- Tools you’ll need: invest in a 8 inch square pan or 9 inch by 9 inch brownie pan; glass mixing bowls; handheld mixer, or kitchen mixer
- Cook time will vary depending on pan size: the cook time of a 8 inch square pan will be a bit longer than the 9×9, because it is smaller so the batter is more compact than in a bigger pan (check an 9×9 pan at about 25 minutes and an 8×8 pan at 30 minutes and cook longer if needed)
- Should you oil the pan or use parchment paper? This is a personal choice and has more to do with easy clean up versus a difference in cooking. However, in my experience I’ve noticed that an oiled pan gives you that gooey brownie crust that we all know and love (if you do choose parchment, go with eco-friendly parchment paper)
Love this simple espresso brownie recipe recipe? Check out our other seasonal sweets recipes, like this Saffron Poached Pears or Baked Brie with Figs and Maple. In the mood for chocolate? Try our Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies or these simple Salted Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries.
Did you make this Leftover Espresso Grounds Brownies? Leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let us know how it turned out. Save this brownie recipe for later by pinning to your favorite desserts Pinterest board and make sure to tag me on Fork in the Road’s Instagram to show me your coffee brownie creations!
Leftover Espresso Grounds Brownies
Leftover Espresso Grounds Brownies, a rich fudgy brownie recipe made with leftover espresso grounds. Reuse those coffee grounds for a deliciously moist chocolaty treat!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup espresso grounds
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) espresso (2 shots)
- Optional chocolate drizzle topping: 2 ounces chocolate, 1 tablespoon espresso grounds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper.
- Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add in chopped chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted.
- In a large mixing bowl, add brown sugar and espresso grounds. Slowly pour in melted chocolate and mix with handheld mixer. Add in eggs one at a time until well combined. Add in cocoa powder, flour, salt, vanilla, and espresso, mixing until combined.
- Pour batter into pan with parchment paper and bake about 30-35 minutes, or until a fork comes out mostly clean from center of brownie pan.
- For chocolate drizzle topping (optional): melt chocolate over low heat in a medium saucepan, then drizzle over brownies and sprinkle with espresso grounds.
Notes
- Notes: if you don't have parchment paper, you can also just grease the pan with butter or oil. If you use a 9"x9" brownie pan, reduce cook time by five minutes.
- Tools Needed: 8 inch square pan, glass mixing bowls, handheld mixer
- Leftovers and Storage: store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
- Nutrition notes: these espresso brownies are high in sugar and fat, however they are intended to be an occasional treat and you should enjoy and savor them as a part of a healthy balanced diet. Also note, this recipe does contain coffee, which also contains caffeine.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 brownie (2.5" x 2.5")Amount Per Serving: Calories: 334Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 151mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 3gSugar: 39gProtein: 4g
These sounds so good! Often I have thought there must be more than one way to use spent coffee grounds. I’ll definitely have to try these!
That’s great! Yes, I’m always on the lookout for how to reuse foods in the kitchen. My recommendations with the coffee grounds is to make sure they are finely ground, a larger grind will make the brownies mealy and grainy. Let me know how they turn out!
I used regular coffee grounds instead of espresso grounds and these still turned out great!
I’m glad to hear that! Yes, both espresso and regular coffee grounds will work in this brownie recipe, but I suggest they are super fine grain (you don’t want grainy brownies). I’m happy they turned out well!
Please PLEASE add in metric measurements as well as Imperial! Are your ounces by weight or volume (for instance?). Love this idea and recipe.
I used espresso grounds but didnt realise they needed to be already pressed (as in used to make an espresso already) so they were the dry grounds. Just made it and its cooling down at present so no idea what impact that mistake has made. Will it still be okay?
Hi Kristen, please excuse my long reply. Yes, we tested and made the brownies using leftover grounds that have already been used in the coffee or espresso machine. However, using dry grounds can work as well. How did they turn out?
I had a roommate 8 years ago, who bought some espresso grounds from the coffee shop, for the express purpose of making chocolate cookies. We did not brew espresso. He put the dry espresso grounds in the recipe. They were awesome – no trouble with dryness at all.
Now… I began searching for ways to use my used grounds, and this recipe is one option I’ve found. The question I had was whether my regular grind has to be ground more finely. I appreciate the couple of perspectives about fine grind versus regular grind. I’ll give it a try.
Thanks for providing me with the information.
Sonny
Hi Sonny! I’m glad that you found the information helpful and I hope the recipe turned out well for you. You could use a regular grind, but I think the brownies may turn out a bit dry. But if you try then let me know!
Has anyone tried mixing used coffee grounds, perhaps coarsely ground, with chocolate as a candy? Sort of like chocolate covered coffee beans?
I haven’t tried that, but it sounds delicious! Kind of like a chocolate-covered coffee bean, but with ground chocolate. I’ll have to give that a try!