Tiramisu Brownie Squares

I make this dessert for any type of pot luck that I am attending. This always goes over well with the others. I made this last night for our small group Superbowl party, and again it was a favorite. This recipe originally came from Pampered Chef, I have found that these recipes are always simple and never disappoint, but end the end, I made a few changes. The original recipe called for chopped creme filled chocolate cookies. I left these out. It also calls to use a box brownie recipe, but I chose to make Dorie's Bittersweet Brownies. So, whether you want to go simple or if you boycott box mixes, either way, this recipe is a hit.

Tiramisu Brownie Squares
This is the original from Pampered Chef

1 pkg brownie mix, plus ingredients to make cake like brownies
1 cup milk
1/4 cup instant coffee granules
2 pgs (3.4 oz each) cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling
1 container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
20 creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, grated
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 9x13 in baking pan with cooking spray. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies; pour into pan, spreading evenly. Bake -30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.

In medium bowl, combine milk and instant coffee granules; stir until dissolved. Add pudding mix and half of the whipped topping; whisk until smooth. Coarsely chop cookies and fold into pudding mixture. Spread filling evenly over cooled brownie.

With remaining whipped topping, pipe diagonal rows, over entire surface of filling. Sprinkle grated chocolate and cinnamon over top of filling and whipped topping. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

The bittersweet brownie that I used is not a cake like brownie. It is very dense and moist. I actually prefer it over the cake like brownie in this dessert.

Bittersweet Brownies
By: Dorie Greenspan

2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
9 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped--I used semi sweet
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder, optional --I used this
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chopped chocolate and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted-you don't want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

With a whisk, stir in the sugar. The mixture might get grainy, but it will even out. Whisk in the eggs one by one, then add the vanilla and whisk enthusiastically to smooth the batter. Finally, gently whisk in the espresso powder, if you're using it, salt and flour, stirring only until incorporated. Scrape the better into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the brownies for just 20-22 minutes, or until the top is dull and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the brownies to room temperature.