High Altitude German Chocolate Bourbon Brownies
Dark chocolate fudge brownies topped with caramel pecan frosting that's spiked with a little bourbon.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Ingredients
Brownies
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (216g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (90g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tsp (8g) vanilla extract
- 2 (110g) large eggs
- ⅔ cup (55g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup (43g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Frosting
- ½ cup (122ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (80g) dark brown sugar
- 2 (40g) large egg yolks
- ¼ cup (56.5g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (78g) chopped pecans
- 1 cup (65g) sweetened coconut flakes
- 2-3 tbsp (30-45ml) good-quality bourbon or whiskey
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sugar over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, cook for two minutes. Remove from the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla until melted and shiny; the mixture will be grainy. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture comes together into a smooth batter.
- In a bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until no dry streaks remain. The batter will be thick but spreadable.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake on the center oven rack for exactly 25 minutes – don’t over-bake! The brownies will be browned and crackled on top and slightly puffed. Cool the brownies completely (at least 6 hours or overnight) before cutting, if you want them to be set when you cut them. (If you don’t mind them warm and gooey and messy, then you can go ahead and cut them after cooling for just a couple of hours.)
Frosting
- In a saucepan, whisk together the cream, brown sugar and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture gets thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter until melted, then stir in the pecans, coconut, bourbon, vanilla and salt. Cool to room temperature, for an hour or two, then spread over the brownies. Let the brownies cool completely.
- Lift the cooled brownies out of the pan by the parchment paper onto a cutting board to cut them into servings.
Notes
Store leftover brownies in an air-tight container for up to 3 days, or wrap well and freeze to enjoy later.
The bourbon can certainly be left out for an alcohol-free treat, and the frosting will still be fantastic.
I cut these into 16 squares, which are fairly small. For an adult-sized portion, cut into 9 squares.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/