Cappuccino Brownies

So today is my birthday=) I am now 18! Everyone likes to think of all the things they can do once they turn 18, and I'd have to say I'm most excited about the driving curfew being extended.

My birthday this year is pretty awesome. Last year was a mild birthday that I like to think was holding back in anticipation for this year. I have lots of plans. Yesterday morning, my two friends and I went to First Watch for breakfast, which has amazing fresh options. I love it there. I had a parfait and an amazing muffin. If I could figure out the secret to their muffins, I'd... well I don't know really. But I would probably give my self the nickname "Muffin Goblin". Well no, I should pick something less ugly, like "Muffin Maiden". So after breakfast we walked over to the conveniently placed movie theater and saw "Black Swan". Natalie Portman is gorgeous, though I've always known this. It's twisted, creepy, scary; a definite thriller. Younger audiences advised.

Also, I got an early present over the weekend....


Ahhh! It's the Verizon Ally. It's the first smart phone in my family and I'm in love! We got a rebate on the phone so it ended up being free! And, the price of the data plan was reduced too! It's sooo cool! I love all the apps and features and it's pretty much my best friend at the moment. The only thing that could make it better would be if I could easily blog from it and check blogs. I can access my blogger account, but scrolling through whats in my reader is difficult=/ I'll figure something out.


These brownies have nothing to do with my birthday, but I really enjoyed them. They were the first recipe I mad out of a new cookbook my friend got me for Christmas. The book is adorable and has large pictures on every page. However, it only contains straight recipes and no other personal touches. Also, It failed to mention an oven time for this recipe. I went with 350. This was a weird book with no author either. AND, the method they use to combine ingredients for this recipe is odd. Everything is thrown in one bowl and mixed. And it calls for an 11 x 7 baking pan? Who has that? Ok, I'm done ranting=)


As you might be able to see, it is quite sunken in the middle while the sides are puffy. Yeah, no one knows why it happened. But, since I wasn't giving any away, I didn't care how it looked because it tasted amazing. I made the glaze suggested, but had to improvise as we did not have nearly enough powdered sugar. With the glaze and a dusting of cocoa powder, these cappuccino brownies kept me going throughout the week! (Well, actually 3 days 'cause I ate them so fast!)


Cappuccino Brownies
from "what's cooking Baking"
makes: 15

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups self rising flour (i made my own)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, and extra for dusting
1 cup butter, softened, and extra for greasing
1 cup superfine sugar
4 eggs beaten
3 tbsp instant coffee powder, dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water

white chocolate frosting:
4 oz white chocolate, broken into pieces
4 tbsp butter, softened
3 tbsp milk
1 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Grease an 11 x 7 inch shallow cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and cocoa into a bowl and add the butter, sugar, eggs, and coffee. Beat well until smooth, then spoon into the prepared pan and smooth top.

Bake in preheated oven (I did 350), for 35-40 mins, or until risen and firm. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and peel off the paper lining. Let cool completely.

Frosting:
Place chocolate, butter, and milk in a microwave safe bowl and melt them together. Sift in confectioners' sugar. Beat until smooth, then spread over the cake. Dust the top of the cake with cocoa, then cut into squares.