Blondies...like a brownie but maybe a little more fun. Like me, a blondie. And this Irish coffee blondie is extra like me, more fun all boozed up.
This is a fun take on a classic blondie to create yet ANOTHER St. Patrick's Day dessert...cause I apparently I equate all things boozy with St. Patrick's Day. What can I say, it's just a fun AF day around here.
What's Irish coffee?
Whiskey and coffee. I mean. do the Irish know how to win at coffee or what? This is not an Americanized 'Irish" thing either, it is legit an option for coffee there. In the morning. I know because when I was in Ireland the Jameson was open, sitting right next to the coffee. It was just the wake up I needed after 8 Guinness' the evening before.
How do you make it into Irish coffee blondies?
Simple, you take all the elements of Irish coffee - Jameson and espresso powder, and add it to an amazingly simple browned butter blondie to make the most amazing, decadent bars ever.
These Irish coffee blondies have a deep nutty flavor from both the browned butter and the whiskey. And I think the addition of espresso powder adds just a lovely complexity - a true adult dessert bar.
What do you need for these?
Irish coffee blondies are pretty simple, here's what you need:
Irish whiskey. I used Jameson.
Espresso Powder. I use this right here. Alternatively you could use a tablespoon of strong coffee, though you may not get so much of a coffee flavor this way. Espresso powder really gives a strong coffee flavor.
Light brown sugar. Doing double duty and a traditional Irish coffee and blondie ingredient.
Vanilla extract. Also an element in Irish coffee.
Butter. I brown it for this recipe to give a deep, nutty flavor.
Eggs.
Salt. Always need salt in your baked goods.
Flour.
Irish coffee blondies
Ingredients
- one stick of unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of espresso powder
- 3 tablespoons of Irish Whiskey I used Jameson
- ¾ teaspoon flaky sea or kosher salt
- 1 cup flour
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil and butter it.
- Melt the stick of butter in a saucepan and cook it, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until it turns deep golden brown and smells like toasted nuts. Remove the whole thing from the stove top to stop in from cooking and continue to scrape until it stops bubbling and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Pour the butter into a bowl and add the espresso powder and sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg, vanilla, whiskey and sea salt. Stir in flour. A
- Scrape the batter into the baking dish, it is thick so you will need to spread it around and smooth it out. Bake it for 25 minutes, or until the edges look a little browned and the center looks just cooked. Cool in the pan, and then lift the foil out and cut into squares.
Not into booze?
Check out my traditional best ever blondie recipe here.
Really into booze and want another boozy treat?
Guinness brownies win every time. Check out my recipe here.
Debbie Beck says
Looks delicious and your puppy chow is delicious!❤️
The Sudden Cook says
Looks delish! Love the first shot too;)
RC says
Should there be baking powder or baking soda in the ingredients list? I made them without either and you can probably guess the result.
Katie Beck says
I am laughing, because I panicked when I read this comment and made them again today thinking I somehow messed up when I wrote out this recipe. But it is correct, no baking soda or powder. It a dense and chewy bar, like a fudge brownie. Adding baking powder would make them much more cakelike in texture, which is not my preference; however, after doing some research on blondies, I have found recipes that call for baking powder, and after looking at five different ones, for this specific recipe of mine, if you'd prefer a cakey texture add 3/4 teaspoon. Hope this is helpful and that you consider trying them again 🙂
-Katie
Barbara says
Thank you for the delicious recipe!! But, instead of linking to Amazon, which is not so great to their workers, why not link directly to King Arthur Flour's website? They deliver too, it's priced less on their site, and they are WONDERFUL to their workers.... seriously, a lot has been written about how great a company they are. Here's where to get that exact same espresso powder, directly from them: https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/espresso-powder
Katie Beck says
This is an excellent idea, and I don't know why I have never thought of this before. I am so very used to taking the easy route I think! I have updated within the post and will most def do this going forward. Thanks again!