Chocolate Frosted Brownies Recipe

A chocolate frosted brownie on it's side in the brownie pan.

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Frosted Brownies Recipe

Skip store-bought mixes, and make these decadent fudgy chocolate frosted brownies with espresso and a chocolate frosting in less than 60 minutes!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Cooling Time1

Total Time1 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: All American

Diet: Low Salt, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Sammi Ricke

Cost: $5.00

Equipment

Ingredients

Brownies

1 cup 2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder (see notes)
1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Chocolate Frosting

3 Tablespoons butter, softened
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon honey (see notes)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ Tablespoons milk
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9x13 metal pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until combined.
1 cup 2 sticks butter, melted, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Add in the room temperature eggs, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Whisk until smooth.
4 eggs, room temperature, ¾ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon espresso powder
With a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until a smooth batter forms. Do not overmix.
1 cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
Pour the batter into the greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter. The edges of the brownies will have slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan as well (see notes). Do not overbake!
Cool the brownies completely before adding the frosting. To speed up the cooling process put the brownies in the fridge for 30 minutes after they have cooled at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In a small mixing bowl, add the softened butter, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract. With a spoon, mix until smooth.
3 Tablespoons butter, softened, 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir in the milk and powdered sugar until a smooth frosting forms. Add more milk (1 teaspoon at a time) if the frosting is too thick to spread or more powdered sugar (1 Tablespoon at a time) if the frosting is not thick enough.
1 ½ Tablespoons milk, 1 cup powdered sugar
Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the brownies.
Cut into squares if serving immediately or wait to cut until serving as this keeps the brownies moist and fresh for longer. Store the brownies tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days then move to the fridge for 2 more days. If your house is warm, immediately store the brownies in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Ingredient Tips - Corn syrup can be substituted for the honey. Dark cocoa powder can be subbed for the regular cocoa powder. Any milk can be used in the frosting. If you don’t have espresso powder, it can be omitted from the recipe.

Baking Tips - We prefer to use a metal pan rather than a glass pan to bake brownies. Metal conducts heat more evenly, resulting in more consistently cooked brownies with crisper edges and a properly set center. Glass tends to heat up slower and can lead to undercooked middles or overbaked edges. With that said, there are differences between metal pans, so take care to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter. The edges of the brownies will have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan as well. It may take 24 minutes or up to 30 minutes depending on your pan and oven. Overbaking is never desired as the brownies will be more cake-like.

Serving Tips - This recipe makes 16 large brownies, but can easily be cut into 25-30 smaller brownies, if needed.

Nutrition