Today I’m gilding the lily, going overboard, taking things a step too far…these chocolate frosted brownies are OUTRAGEOUS!
These brownies are extra moist and chocolatey all by themselves, but when you slather on that thick layer of chocolate buttercream you’re in a whole other ballpark. I’ve decided that frosted brownies are the only way to go from now on 🙂
ingredients for chocolate frosted brownies
- chocolate
- unsweetened, semi-sweet, and cocoa powder, to be exact.
- butter
- sugar
- granulated, brown, and powdered.
- eggs
- flour
- baking powder and salt
- vanilla
- milk
- cream
- Ovaltine
- the surprise ingredient!
what makes these brownies special
I figure, if you’re going to go to the trouble to make brownies, why not go all out? The fluffy frosting turns them into a fabulous treat perfect for special occasions or that someone special you want to impress.
These fudgey frosted brownies are as good as you are probably imagining there are, but super rich. I’d say they’re best saved for a special occasion, like, well, today! I will say that the real discovery for me here is the frosting; it’s unusual and really really good. It has a beautiful medium mocha color that contrasts with the deep dark brownies. That’s good, because if you’re going to do something as decadent as frosting a brownie, you should be able to see that extra layer. I was skeptical about the Ovaltine, but it actually adds a nice tang, almost like sour cream. Did I mention that this frosting has a texture like whipped mousse?
more chocolate!
- Queen Elizabeth’s Favorite Chocolate Biscuit Cake
- BETTER Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas
- Mom’s Easy Fudge Recipe
- Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Milk Chocolate Mousse Recipe
Chocolate Frosted Brownies
Ingredients
brownies
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2-3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup Ovaltine, any variety
Instructions
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. In a medium, heatproof bowl, add butter and unsweetened chocolate. Place the bowl over, but not touching, the simmering water and allow to melt. Stir to incorporate. Once melted, remove the bowl from the simmering pot.
- Whisk in brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk in eggs, yolk, and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture all at once to the chocolate mixture. Fold together with a spatula until well incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the brownie comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting. Frost with a half recipe of The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (see below) when cooled. Brownies last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to five days.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Mixture will be very thick, but cream for about 3 minutes at medium speed.
- Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on low to incorporate 2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar while adding the milk and vanilla. As the sugar incorporates, gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat until smooth.
- In a 1-cup measure, stir together cream and Ovaltine. Turn the mixer to medium, and pour the cream in a slow and steady stream until the frosting reaches your desires consistency: smooth, creamy, and spreadable. Add more powdered sugar to adjust consistency.
- Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cakes, cupcakes or brownies.
Notes
Nutrition
I made the brownies yesterday and will be making the buttercream frosting today. They will be sold at our Deli. What I particularly liked about the brownies in their making was that there is leavening in the batter!! Whoo hoo!! Usually brownies are so dense; The recipes rarely have any kind of leavening in them! I think brownies SHOULD have a little bit of leavening in them. Thank you Sue Moran!!
I dont have unsweetened chocolate can i use cocoa powder
I would substitute with regular semi sweet chocolate, Amanda, cocoa powder isn’t a good substitute for actual chocolate.
I met Joy at an event a couple weeks ago with KitchenAid and about 40 other local SoCal bloggers. She made this frosting that day. SO GOOD!
And the Ovaltine. Get the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook. I posted about it last week. You clearly like to cook and you will LOVE that book. She has a few Ovaltine uses in the book.
I’ve been following all your Joy The Baker recipes – you make them all look amazing! The book doesn’t reach this side of the Atlantic until the end of March but I think it’s time to put an advance order with amazon.
The frosting was so incredible. I am thankful that I did halve mine or I would have been eating it by the spoonful. 😉 Your brownies look so good–I love how glossy your frosting looks.
Frosting on top of the brownies? Crazy! And I love crazy.
I purposely didn’t half the recipe…i mean…with frosting THAT good, you need leftovers for dipping 🙂 Beautiful photos!!
Beautiful!
Your brownies turned out beautifully, and your photographs are exceptional!
So glad to be sharing the cookbook challenge and spotlight experience with you. Looking forward to see what you pick for week 3!
Best,
Jenn/Rook No. 17