Frosting Fudge Brownies

Some of you might find this disgusting, but for those of you who don’t (my kind of reader), cheers to an over-abundance of frosting.

I know your type. You’re the one that angles for the corner piece of a big square birthday cake when it’s being sliced at a horrible office party, because it’s all about the frosting. (Except in this recipe, because the brownie is The World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie which even has its own apron and kitchen towel, for God’s sake. In this recipe, the brownie is the STAR of the show- let’s be clear- but the frosting just, well, you know, adds icing to the proverbial cake.) I had a blobula of frosting left from making the Mini Brownie Sandwiches with Toffee Crunch, so I knew what was in store for the extras. The vanilla buttercream icing surely wasn’t about to go to waste.

So when you want something decadently fudgy on the bottom and squishy on the top, get started on this recipe. I baked it in a rectangular tart pan and sliced it into pie-shaped pieces, but it will still hit the spot if it’s baked into a 9 x 9″ square pan or a cake pan. The Frosting Fudge Brownies are best when sculpted into a height ratio if 1:1 frosting: brownie, and they don’t care what shape they are made into. They just beg to be made. What are you waiting for?!

Adapted from my World’s Greatest Brownie Recipe…

BROWNIES:

4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate

(the better the chocolate, the better the brownie)

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla (use the real stuff)

3 lightly beaten eggs

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Optional: 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Optional: 1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped

Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips

VANILLA FROSTING:

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened to barely room temperature

3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 – 4 tablespoons milk or cream
1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a foil-lined 9 x 9″ baking pan (or a 9″ cake pan… or use a long tart pan for some of the batter and use the rest in an 8″ pan…)
2. Melt chocolate & butter in microwave for 2:15 minutes and stir.
3. Stir in sugar, then vanilla, then eggs, then salt, espresso powder (optional) & flour.
4. Stir in nuts &/or chocolate chips if you so desire.
5. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 30 – 33 minutes, until just set around the edges.
6. Cool on a wire rack.
7. FROSTING: In a large bowl, beat butter for 3 minutes at medium speed. Add 3 cups of sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat on low until combined. Add vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 more minutes at medium speed. Add remaining sugar if you are looking for a stiffer frosting, and add remaining milk/cream if you’d like a thinner frosting.
8. Spread a massive amount of frosting overtop the cooled brownies. Chill then slice (wiping blade between each slice).
9. Indulge!
Tips:
- Fudgy brownies mean not baking the crap out of them. Make sure to take your brownies out of the oven as soon as they stop jiggling in the middle when you shake the pan- usually at 33 minutes.
- Garnish: I forgot to sprinkle cocoa powder overtop before slicing & serving. Poo. But you can, and they will look better. Or shave curls of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate overtop.
- Want more brownie blather? Check out the Tips section of the original post.
- Store in the fridge but bring to room temperature to eat for best flavor. Yummy!
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August 4th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | 2 Comments | Tags: Brownies & Bars, Chocolate, Icing, World's Best

2 Responses and Counting...

Mary Beth 08.04.2013

this is my kind of brownie. *fist pump*
More Sweets Please

We are cut from the same cloth. Love it! (And gotta love the frosting.)