I was trying to figure out what should be the first dessert I post on Cooking with Mamma C. I was going through all of the various options, wondering if I should go with cake, or pie, or maybe cookies.
I just could not decide. I was getting a little stressed.
“I need to make some brownies, and then I can think straight,” I said to myself.
Duh!
No question, brownies are my go-to dessert. They are my comfort food, when it comes to sweets.
Top them with creamy chocolate frosting, and I am in heaven.
Now, there is a member of my household who does not like chocolate. (How did I marry someone who doesn’t like chocolate?)
He can just look away – there’s nothing for him to see here.
There is another member of my household who does not like frosting. She can just ignore that part of the recipe.
But she’d better pay attention to the brownie part, because that is what she has known and loved for years.
For all of us with good taste who can’t resist frosted brownies, read on. These babies are from scratch.
You don’t need a mix with its partially hydrogenated ingredients. And really, if you don’t have much time, you can skip the frosting and just make the brownies for your chocolate fix.
But, will you look at that luscious, creamy, deliciousness?
As you can see, I’m not one to spread the frosting perfectly. It’s partly because I’m lousy in art. But it’s mostly because I love my brownies topped with gobs of buttery, chocolate frosting cascading in uneven peaks, valleys, and swirls.
That’s my idea of perfection.
Recipe Source: Brownies adapted from Baker’s One-Bowl Brownies. Frosting adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate bars
- 12 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)
- 12 Tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 Tablespoons milk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, leaving a bit of foil overhanging on each end to use as handles later. Grease the foil with cooking spray. (Or use a nonstick 15.2x8 brownie pan without foil.)
- Place the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl (or other microwave-safe bowl). Heat the butter and chocolate in the microwave for two minutes on high. Stir until the chocolate melts.
- Stir in the sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Mix with a spoon until blended. Add the flour and pecans (if using) and stir until the batter is mixed. Pour the batter into the pan. (If using a brownie pan that comes with dividers, insert the dividers after you pour in the batter.)
- Bake for 27-30 minutes. Test to see if it is done by inserting a toothpick in the center of the brownies; the toothpick should come out with fudgy crumbs.
- Let the brownies cool in the pan. Then lift them out with the foil handles, and frost before cutting into servings. (If you used the brownie pan that comes with the dividers, remove the dividers before frosting the brownies.)
- While the brownies are baking, use an electric mixer to cream the butter, cocoa, and salt, starting on low and then increasing to medium speed. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low. Add in the vanilla and milk.
- Increase the speed to medium-high, and beat the frosting until smooth and fluffy. Spread onto the cooled brownies. Store the frosted brownies in the refrigerator. If eating them leftover, let them come to room temperature first, if you want the frosting to be softer.
A 9x 13 pan will yield 20 brownies. For the photos, I used a 15.2x8 brownie pan with dividers to get 12 thick brownies.
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