Mocha Brownies

I apologize for a whole week with no recipes.  I braved another road trip, this time with my mom and the boys to Orange County for a family baby shower.  Isaac and Warren were troopers and I even got to eat In-N-Out again.  This time I brought my own bun (leftovers from the ones I made) and asked them to keep my burger separate from the cheesy ones on the griddle.  Perfect!

Now, on to the mocha brownies, which were a hit at the family barbecue on Saturday night.  To save time, I made my own "brownie mix" complete with instructions before we left, so all I had to do when we got there was add eggs, oil, and vanilla.  They even held their own next to my grandma's chocolate walnut brownies, which are made with butter.  The coffee flavor is prominent in this recipe, so if you are a coffee lover, whip up a batch and enjoy!

Mocha Brownies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper or foil.

In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and instant coffee and mix well.  In another bowl, stir together eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla and beat by hand until well combined.  Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan, smooth top, and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 18-25 minutes.  Do not over bake - start checking brownies after 15 minutes.  Let cool in pan.  Using parchment or foil, lift brownies onto cutting board and cut into squares with sharp knife.