Starbucks Via Tribute Blend Brownies

If you know me, you know I'm allergic to several brands of coffee. Primarily Starbucks, but I have come across a few others, too. Actually, I'm allergic to the chemicals they roast their coffee in. Dumb Starbucks! But honestly, I am grateful to them because they employ my husband, and therefore feed and house my family. So, YAY Starbucks =)  But when it comes to their coffee, I literally can't step into a Starbucks coffee shop without my throat itching... And then slowly I feel myself starting to want to gasp for air... And then my throat starts to close up a little... All in the span of 10 minutes. I don't last longer than it takes to run in for one of their amazing chicken sausage breakfast burritodoobers. (LOVE 'em. Just don't know what they're called.)

And all of the aforementioned is beside the point.

Last week I made some of the worst brownies ever. They were just a huge disaster. If you promise your best friend amazing cookies, make her the cookies, people! Don't make her "THE best brownies ANYone has ever eaten EVER", because you are surely doomed. Not only were these brownies (that I waited to the last minute to make) NOT the BEST brownies ever EVER, but they were headed to Florida in only a few hours, and half of them were promised to the young man taking them there. So, I had to make them... And they bombed. I mean, awful.

So, the next day, dejected yet knowing I could do wayyyy better, I went in search of a helpful tutorial on YouTube and there I found a cute albeit excruciatingly long (8 minute) video of a young girl making brownies from scratch. I gave her simple recipe a try, and was so unbelievably WOWED! I will never go back.

The first batch with this new recipe I made with walnuts. It was glorious, and meaty. It felt like eating a really sneaky sweet dinner. (Then ended up being a really sneaky sweet breakfast!)

Then, I tweaked it a bit (and... ran... out... of... eggs...) and made it with a little pizazz that my husband and his co-workers would appreciate. I made this batch with Via. ( Have you tried Via yet? Yep, my neither. Considering that it would probably kill me.) My throat felt horrendous as I baked, but his coworkers loved them.

WHAT YOU NEED:
1/2 bag Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Chocolate Chips
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup Ghirardelli Cocoa Mix
Less than 1 cup AP flour
3 packets Via
1/4 bag Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips

HOW TO:
Over medium heat, melt butter, salt, and chocolate together. Stir, and don't let it boil. (It's very fast!)
Take off heat. Add Via and stir in very well. Let it set for a minute while you make the following steps.
With a hand mixer beat together sugar, vanilla, and egg in a large mixing bowl.
Add cocoa. Mix with spoon so it doesn't fly everywhere.
Add melted coffee chocolate concoction to the mix.
Add flour. And voila! Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, and you'll have the best darned mocha brownies EVER! (Unless, of course, you are allergic to Starbucks.)

ENJOY!