Mocha White Chocolate Brownies

One of my faaavorite girls from last year, N, called me up and told me that she would only come visit me if I agreed to bake. She thought she was bribing me... I planned to agree to get her to visit and not bake. Well, I agreed, she came and I thought I was going to get out of baking..... and then I ended up baking. Something about girls serving their country..... Anyway, I whipped up these brownies quite fast actually so it was really no big deal in the end, end they made a lot of people happy. The recipe comes once again from the Israeli More Chocolate book and they while they are called Mocha Brownies they also feature some nougat- ground  hazelnut yumminess. The girls told me they couldnt really taste the hazelnut element but they could taste the mocha. Who knew a teaspoon of espresso powder would go such a long way? Not me. The white chocolate was a nice contrasting addition. Some of them commented that when the brownies were in their gooey fudgey state, the white chocolate was a nice crunchy contrast. Personally? I dont like serving goop, even chocolate goop, so I stashed them in the fridge to firm up. Best trick in the book- fudgy brownies with out the nauseatingly goopy texture. I mean, if I wanted raw batter, I could just lick the spoon. Next time, I'd add the hazelnuts to make them more unique and to make the nougat flavor pop. Was anyone disappointed that they were missing? Pretty sure not!

Mocha White Chocolate Brownies
slightly adapted from More Chocolate

150 grams butter or margarine
130 grams bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
200 grams sugar
100 grams sifted flour
70 grams nougat powder
200 grams white chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x9 inch pan.
Melt the margarine and chocolate together. Set aside to cool.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is light. Add the flour. Add the melted chocolate mixture. When the mixture is uniform, add the nougat powder. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate to firm up the brownies, if desired.