Coffee Macadamia Nut Brownies

This is the first time I have truly experimented with baking. I have cooked “create-a-meal” many times, using whatever I have on hand to form dinner (the latest evolution of this has been pasta salads). However, I have not leapt out into the baking arena to test the creative waters. Sure, I have changed the topping on a sugar cookie or used strawberry instead of raspberry jam, but never something like that. And, in all honesty, it was not that great a leap. And not that great a brownie, in my opinion.

It all started after I saw, tasted, and found Mary Louise Butters Brownies to be just about the best brownie on earth. And one of the flavors is Kona Buzz. Rather than spend 2 or 3 dollars on a large square, I thought I would see if amateur me could produce something similar. So I did.

I did not make my brownies from scratch, but from a box of brownie mix. I did not like the brownie mix, it was too dry and not chocolatey enough. Next time I will use a brownie mix I know to be good or make the batter from scratch. Depends on how much I want brownies versus how much time I have to make them.

Next, the coffee. I opted to use instant coffee, which I have used in the past for Espresso Brownies. Apparently, I did not use enough of the stuff because I could not taste or smell the coffee at all. I don’t know if I should use more next time, seek out instant espresso (an item that has thus far eluded me in grocery world), use brewed espresso, or ground coffee. My only fear with the brewed espresso is that I will need a lot of liquid to get the coffee taste in there and lead to soupy brownies that are not cakey and gooey, but hard and chewy. And the coffee grounds could work, it just depends on the grit factor.

Finally, the all-important macadamia nut. The only ones I could find at my store were salted. Not sure if that is what I want to use in the future as the salt overpowered a lot of the chocolate and coffee flavor. But other than that, great crunch, they did not sink to the bottom of the brownies, and I coarsely chopped them so there was a wide range of nut chunk size.

I have not heard from my tasting panel on what they thought of the brownies, but upon receiving them, there was much excitement and anticipation in the household. Experiment #1 was not an overwhelming success, but rarely is the first time around perfect. I have gained valuable knowledge and look forward to the next time I make these brownies. They may never be as good as Mary Louise Butters, but they will be mine.