Chocolate Fudge Brownies w/ Chocolate Buttercream Frosting {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off}

Aaaahhhhh.  It's here.  It's finally here.  The day girls all across the country dream of.  Pink hearts and red roses...chocolate and sparkly things...unicorns and glitter (I'm with Flo...).  They wake up in the morning with their hearts all a-flutter, convinced that the birds are chirping louder than usual.  They pull on their crisp, clean outfit with the softest touch.  They paint their nails in glorious hues of love and passion.  They slide on their sexiest, spike-heeled boots or slip into their sweet little kitten heels.  They go through the motions of the day, anticipation in their every move.  

Stolen glances to see if anybody is near.  Time moving simultaneously too slow and too quick.  Their limbs tingle with excitement as the moment nears.  And then it's here.  Jitters.  Nervous smile.  Bones shaking like they're in the snow without a coat.  They make their way to the designated spot....

...just in time to flip open their laptop and check out the first post in the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off!  They can barely contain the moans...the gasps that threaten to slip past their perfectly lacquered lips.  Chocolate.  Fudge.  Buttercream.  FROSTING!  

And just like that, they knew the wait was worth it.  Chocolate and hearts.  Love and ecstasy.  

It was everything a brownie should be.  Rich and fudgy with the smoothest, creamiest, most seductive chocolate frosting in existence.  Yes.  Girls all across the country will fall asleep satisfied tonight.

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Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate birthday bars

6016980

Ingredients (1 - 8" or 9" pan)

brownies:

• ¾ c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ c. (1 stick/4 oz.) butter
• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• ½ c. packed brown sugar
• ½ c. granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• ½ c. semisweet chocolate chips

frosting:

• ¾ c. (1½ sticks/12 oz.) butter, at room temperature
• ½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2½-3 c. powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 Tbs. milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• scant ½ c. heavy cream
• ⅓ c. Ovaltine (chocolate malt powder)

Instructions

brownies:

Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 350° F. Grease and flour an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish and set aside. If you want to be able to lift the whole square of brownies out of the pan, line it with a long strip of parchment paper (to form a cradle), greasing and flouring that, as well.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Bring a couple inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Set a heatproof bowl containing the butter and unsweetened chocolate over the top of, but not touching the simmering water and allow to melt. (Or do it carefully in the microwave.) Stir to incorporate. Remove from simmering water once melted.

Whisk in both sugars. Whisk in eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once to the chocolate mixture, stir well to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes (8" pan) or 20-24 minutes (9" pan), or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

frosting (use half of this to frost brownies and save other half for something else):

Cream together butter, cocoa powder, and salt with the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, for ~3 minutes. Mixture will be very thick.

Turn off mixer, scrape down sides of bowl and add 2½ cups of the powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low to incorporate sugar while adding the milk and vanilla. As sugar incorporates, gradually increase mixer speed to medium-high. Stop & scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat until smooth.

Stir together cream and Ovaltine. Turn the mixer to medium, and pour the cream in a slow and steady stream until frosting reaches your desired consistency, adding more powdered sugar, if needed. Frosting should be smooth, creamy, and spreadable.

Spread half of frosting onto cooled brownies (use the rest for cake, cupcakes, cookies, graham crackers, eating from a spoon, etc.).

Frosting will last, well wrapped, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Brownies will last, well wrapped, for up to 5 days at room temperature.

slightly adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

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Oh yeah.  And it's Valentine's Day...and my Anniversary.   Happy Valentine's Day everyone - I wish you many Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting...and Happy Anniversary, mi amor!

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

I am also sharing this post with:
FOTMC: Chocolate