Fluffy Mocha Bars

These are, for all intents and purposes, brownies.  However, unlike many (dare I say most?) brownies, these guys make no promises to pack the most chocolate per square inch.  Really, it's equal parts chocolate and coffee.   Much like a mocha.  Not the most original flavor combo, but the good news is there's a pretty good chance that you have these ingredients lying around (and if you don't may I suggest that you ALWAYS keep unsweetened chocolate on hand?  You never know when you'll be watching football and suddenly have an olfactory hallucination involving brownies).  These un-brownies are (a) fluffy (b) rich and (c) have the most darling crackly top you ever did see.  It doesn't make a lot, but you will not be able to eat a lot, so that's ok.  And no, that's not a dare.

1 1/2 -2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup coffee, as strong as you can brew it*
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Melt chocolate and butter together over lowest heat.  Blend together with coffee.  Allow to cool.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until thick.
5. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla to egg mixture and beat until just incorporated.
6. Add flour mixture, taking care not to over-beat.
7. Pour batter into a greased 8x8" square cake pan.
8. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into center of the pan comes out clean.
9. Cool brownies completely before cutting or attempting to remove from pan.  They will fall apart if you get impatient.  In fact, they are likely to fall apart even if cool if you aren't careful.

* Obviously individual coffee makers vary tremendously.  The boyfriend has one of those nifty little single cup guys.  I packed the whole filter (metal mesh in this case, which is best because you get to keep all the tasty oils) full of grinds.  I put about 1/4 cup of water in the pot.  When the coffee was brewed, I measured again and it was just over a quarter cup, so I reduced it in a pan on high until there was just under a quarter of a cup.  You want strong flavor, but you do not want to add too much moisture.