Best Espresso Bars Recipes

ESPRESSO CARAMEL BARS

Steps:

• For the crust:
• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan with parchment or waxed paper. Spray the paper and the sides of the pan with cooking spray. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the graham crackers and sugar. Process until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the melted butter and blend until the mixture forms into clumps. Spread the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing gently to form an even layer. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden. Cool for 15 minutes.
• For the caramel:
• While the crust is cooling, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of cream, butter, sugar, and water. Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees F, about 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully pour the caramel over the warm crust. Cool for 20 minutes. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• For the chocolate layer: Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a small bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the espresso powder. Remove the springform pan from the freezer. Pour the chocolate mixture over the caramel layer and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with smoked sea salt, if using. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
• Allow the layers to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Using a warm, slightly wet knife, carefully cut around the edges of the chocolate layer. Release the side of the pan and remove the paper from the bottom. Cut into 1 1/2-by-1/2-inch bars and store airtight in a covered plastic container.

ALMOND ESPRESSO BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and espresso until blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chopped almonds. , Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned. , In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, water and extract until smooth; spread over warm bars. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

CINNAMON ESPRESSO BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or spray with cooking spray; coat with flour. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until blended, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining bar ingredients. Spread in pan.
• Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until top springs back when touched in center.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix all glaze ingredients with spoon until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars while warm. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows.

ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300. Line 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
• For the BARS: In a large bowl beat butter and sugar at med speed until fluffy and very pale. Beat in vanilla and salt. In a small bowl, combine flour and espresso powder. Add dry ingredients to large bowl in 3rds, scraping and beating until just combined.
• Firmly press dough into the baking pan in an even layer using plastic wrap on top with a flat utensil to spread to entire pan. Toss plastic.
• Bake about 40 minutes or until very lightly browned and firm but not solid to the touch. Do not over cook. Cool pan on rack about 10 minutes.
• Cut bars into 5 strips by 8 strips. (40 bars) Cool completely.
• For the GLAZE: In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, espresso, corn syrup and salt. Boil over moderate heat, swirling the pan, until slightly thickened (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat. When bubbling subsides, pour quickly over shortbread, spreading in an even layer with a spatula. Using a lightly oiled knife, score the glaze without dragging, along cuts. Press an espresso bean in the center of each bar. Cool slightly then separate bars and transfer to a plate.

ESPRESSO CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of the espresso coffee powder and melted butter; mix well. Reserve 1/4 cup mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of ungreased 8-inch square pan.
• Beat cream cheese in medium bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon espresso coffee powder, vanilla and egg; blend well. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
• Bake at 350°F. for 15 to 20 minutes or just until center is set. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Cover loosely; refrigerate 3 to 4 hours or until firm. With hot, wet knife, cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE CHIP ESPRESSO BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F, with the rack at middle level. Line a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper or grease lightly. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. The dough will be very crumbly, with just barely enough dough to hold together the chocolate chips. Press dough evenly into the jelly roll pan with your hands. Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for 5-10 minutes more or until the edges are just starting to brown (watch carefully... I baked mine for a total of 18 minutes). Cool in the pan 5 minutes before spreading with the glaze. To make the glaze, place milk, butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and barely bubbly. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the bars and smooth out to the edges and corners with a rubber spatula. Cool until the pan is just warm to the touch, then cut into bars and serve.

DARK CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon to combine.
• Spread mixture evenly in a 9x9" baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden around the edges.
• Let cool and slice into 8 bars. Serve or refrigerate for later.

ESPRESSO BARS

Steps:

• Dissolve espresso powder in water; set aside.
• In mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
• Add eggs, espresso mixture and vanilla; beat just until blended.
• Sift together flour and cocoa; stir.
• Spread batter in greased 9-inch square baking pan.
• Bake in 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean (don't over bake) Let cool.
• FROSTING: With electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, espresso powder and vanilla until smooth.
• Gradually beat in enough icing sugar to give spreading consistency.
• Spread over cooled base.
• Dust top lightly with cocoa through a small sieve.
• (May be wrapped airtight and stored up to 1 day or frozen).
• Cut into bars.

WAKE-UP ESPRESSO CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Butter bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan.
• In 3-quart saucepan, heat corn syrup and brown sugar to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. In small bowl, stir coffee granules into boiling water until dissolved; stir into corn syrup mixture along with peanut butter until smooth. Add cereal and pretzels, stirring until evenly coated.
• Press evenly in pan. Let stand about 2 hours or until set. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 3 rows. Store covered.

ESPRESSO CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder and melted butter; mix well. Reserve 1/4 cup crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of ungreased 8-inch square pan.
• Beat cream cheese in medium bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder, vanilla and egg; blend well. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or just until center is set. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Cover loosely; refrigerate 3-4 hours or until firm. With hot, wet knife, cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

ESPRESSO-SHORTBREAD BROWNIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°. In a food processor, combine the butter with the flour, sugar, ground espresso and salt; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Press the crumbs into a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan to form a crust; prick all over with a fork. Freeze for 5 minutes, until firm. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned and cooked through.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa, salt and baking powder. In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the chocolate over low heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla, then stir in the eggs. Add the dry ingredients and stir until the brownie batter is smooth.
• Pour the brownie batter over the shortbread crust, smoothing the surface. Bake for 30 minutes, until the brownie top is dry and lightly cracked around the edges; the center will still be a bit soft. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.
• Make Ahead The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

ESPRESSO BUZZ ENERGY BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8x8-inch square baking pan.
• Take half of the oats along with all of the flax and toss them into your food
• processor. Blend into a coarse meal.
• Stir mixture together with the remaining whole oats, salt, and chocolate chips.
• In a separate bowl, mix the melted margarine, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, coffee, and instant coffee together until that the sugar and instant coffee dissolve.
• Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
• Pour the mixture into the pan and use a spatula to smooth it down until it evenly fills the pan.
• Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the edges begin to brown a bit.
• Cool completely before slicing into bars.

ESPRESSO CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, 1/2 tsp. espresso powder and melted butter; mix well. Reserve 1/4 cup crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of ungreased 8-inch square pan.
• 2. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, remaining 1/2 tsp. espresso powder, vanilla and egg; blend well. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
• 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or just until center is set. Cool 30 minutes or until completed cooled. Cover loosely; refrigerate 3-4 hours or until firm. With hot, wet knife, cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

CINNAMON ESPRESSO BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or spray with cooking spray; coat with flour. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until blended, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining bar ingredients. Spread in pan.
• Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until top springs back when touched in center.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix all glaze ingredients with spoon until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars while warm. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows.

ESPRESSO CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• 1. In medium bowl, stir together brownie mix, water, oil, 1 egg and espresso powder until moistened (about 40 strokes). Spoon batter into lightly greased 13x9-inch pan. Bake for 12 minutes.
• 2. Place cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix on low speed 1 minute or until smooth. Add melted chocolate and mix on low speed until blended. Add 3 eggs, espresso powder and vanilla and continue to mix on low speed until blended. Spoon cream cheese mixture over crust and spread evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes or until filling is set temp around 325 to 350 is fine. Cool thoroughly before cutting. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

ESPRESSO CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of the espresso coffee powder and melted butter; mix well. Reserve 1/4 cup mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of ungreased 8-inch square pan. 2. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon espresso coffee powder, vanilla and egg; blend well. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. 3. Bake at 350°F. for 15 to 20 minutes or just until center is set. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Cover loosely; refrigerate 3 to 4 hours or until firm. With hot, wet knife, cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. N - Espresso is full-flavored coffee produced by forcing steam or hot water through finely ground dark-roasted coffee beans. N - Look for chocolate cookie crumbs in the grocery store baking aisle. N - Instead of chocolate cookie crumbs, crush chocolate wafers. Place chocolate wafers in a resealable plastic food storage bag and press it with a rolling pin. N - Use instant coffee granules in place of the instant espresso coffee powder.

CARAMEL ESPRESSO BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350º. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with non-stick foil or regular foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray...leave some excess on two sides to assist with removal. In a food processor, combine the graham crackers and sugar and process until finely ground. Add the melted butter and blend until well combined. Spread the mixture into the bottom of the pan, pressing gently to form an even layer. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden. Cool for about 15 minutes.
• While the crust is cooling, in a heavy saucepan, combine ½ cup of cream, 1 stick of butter, brown sugar, and water. Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240º (mine reached 244º), about 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully pour the caramel over the warm crust. Cool for 20 minutes. Freeze until firm, about 10-15 minutes.
• Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second increments, stopping and stirring till mixture is melted and smooth. Whisk in the espresso powder. Remove the pan from the freezer, and check to see that the caramel has cooled and solidified. Pour the chocolate mixture over the caramel layer and smooth with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm. Remove bars from pan using foil. Use knife dipped in hot water and dried to cut bars.

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO BARS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350°F. Generously grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside.
• In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until blended. Gradually stir in the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the vanilla, then add the flour mixture and stir until blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and the center is springy to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and espresso powder and heat, stirring, just until the powder is dissolved and bubbles start to appear around the pan edges. Add the chocolate and salt, remove from the heat and stir just until the chocolate is melted. Let cool to room temperature.
• Using a small offset spatula, spread the cooled glaze over the cookie in a thin layer. Refrigerate until the glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Cut into 1 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch bars or 2-inch squares. Top each bar with a chocolate-covered espresso bean.

ALMOND ESPRESSO BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and espresso until blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chopped almonds., Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned., In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, water and extract until smooth; spread over warm bars. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.