Backcountry fuel often comes in single-serving, individually wrapped packages, but there’s a way for your transition bites to be more creative and Earth-friendly: Bring them from home. Beyond Skid cookbook author Lily Krass brings us another skintrack treat.
Double Chocolate Espresso Brownies
The best pick-me-up during a long slog in the mountains, these espresso brownies once saved me from bonking on hour 10 during a traverse of the Tetons. They’ve earned their place as a crucial component of my snack bag ever since. A little caffeine mixed into each fudgy, indulgent bite just might be the difference between going for one more lap or heading home, and tucking away a few extra brownies to share is a great way to keep your touring partners happy no matter what the surface conditions are like.
All you need to whip these up is a bowl, fork (for whisking), and baking dish, so even the most basic dirtbag kitchen should be equipped to make a batch of these brownies.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 packet of instant coffee
- 1 ¼ cup flour*
- 1 tsp. flake sea salt, plus more to top
*For gluten-free brownies, you can sub gluten-free all-purpose flour, or 3/4 cup almond flour and 3/4 cup oat flour with great results.
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and butter or oil an 8×8” baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, mix cocoa and sugar.
- Melt butter in the microwave and add to cocoa and sugar mixture.
- Stir in eggs, vanilla, and espresso.
- Add flour and salt and stir until just combined.
- Pour mixture into baking pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
- Sprinkle with flake salt and let cool before packing up.
Lily Krass is a freelance storyteller based in Jackson, Wyoming. She is the co-author of Beyond Skid: A Cookbook For Ski Bums, a collection of dirtbag-friendly recipes inspired by mountain town life. Check it out here: BeyondSkid.com. In Issue 147, The Huts Issue Lily Krass shares tips and tricks (and a couple more recipes) for homemade skintrack snacks. Pick up a copy and learn more: BackcountryMagazine.com/147.
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