2tablespoonscoffee or watercoffee leftover from the morning brew is fine
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
¾cupunsweetened natural cocoa powder or dark cocoa powderI used Hershey’s Special Dark
1teaspooninstant espresso granulesmake sure it’s instant so it dissolves, optional but recommended
¾cupall-purpose flour
For the Ganache
1 ½cupssemi-sweet chocolate chips
½cuphalf-and-half or creamI used half-and-half
1cupM&M ministhey’re sold in small tubes and I used 1 1/2 tubes; regular size M&Ms may be substituted
Instructions
Make the Brownies
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt the butter, about 90 seconds on high power.
Add the eggs, sugars, coffee, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
Add the cocoa powder, instant espresso, and whisk until incorporated, free from lumps, and smooth. It could take a few minutes if your cocoa powder is lumpy.
Add the flour and stir until it’s just incorporated; don’t overmix.
Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 29 minutes, or until top has just set, isn’t jiggly in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few fudgy moist crumbs, but no batter. I baked mine for 26 minutes.
Allow brownies to cool completely in pan. While brownies cool, make the ganache.
Make the Ganache
Add chocolate chips to a medium, microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power for 1 minute to soften chips. They won’t be melted, this is okay. Don’t stir; set bowl aside.
Heat cream in a glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl until it begins to bubble and show signs of just beginning to boiling, about 1 minute on high power.
Pour cream over chocolate chips and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
With a whisk, beat mixture until silky, smooth, and combined. If your mixture isn’t smoothing out, heat in 15-second bursts in the microwaves until it can be stirred smooth.
Pour ganache over mostly cooled brownies (after about 30 minutes is fine; they don’t have to be completely cooled). Smooth ganache lightly with a spatula or offset knife.
Evenly sprinkle with M&Ms.
Cover pan with a sheet of foil to prevent fridge smells, and place pan in refrigerator until ganache sets up before slicing and serving, at least 2 hours. Do not slice into them until the ganache has set; feel free to make these in advance and store them in the fridge; they get better with time.
Notes
Brownies will keep airtight for 1 week at room temperature, for 2 weeks in the refrigerator, and for up to 6 months in the freezer. I highly recommend storing them in the refrigerator because having a slight chill to brownies this rich and fudgy is almost imperative.