Chocolate Frosted Brownies

This Sunday, July 7th is National Chocolate Day. Ahh, chocolate, my good friend. I have a hard time considering any day complete unless I’ve had at least a little bit of chocolate. To celebrate this year, I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes of all time – chocolate frosted brownies. I know you are thinking – “they are just brownies” but I can assure you that I have tried dozens of recipes and none match this – they really are that good.

Chocolate Frosted Brownies

I got the recipe from my good friend Jen. She lives a few streets away from me and brought these brownies more than a few times. She would bring 5 or 6 on a plate and I would eat every single one. All. By. Myself. 🙂 Finally, she shared the recipe with me and now I make them on a (way too) regular basis. I’ve even reached the point that I have to purposely 1/2 the recipe because I can’t stop myself from eating them. And, last point, don’t even think about skipping the frosting!

Okay, now that you have worked up an appetite – here’s the recipe.

Brownies:

– 1 cup melted butter
– 1/2 cup cocoa powder
– 2 cups granulated sugar
– 4 whole eggs beaten
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Directions: Whisk together melted butter and cocoa powder. Add sugar, beaten eggs, vanilla and salt. Mix well, then add flour. Stir in slowly until just combined – do not over mix. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes. Cool completely and then frost (but really, who waits until they are completely cool?!)

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

– 1/2 cup of room temperature butter
– 1/2 tsp vanilla
– 2 Tbsp milk (add more a little at a time if it is too dry)
– 2 cups powdered sugar
– 1/3 – 1/2 cup cocoa powder (depending on how “dark” you like your chocolate)

Beat the butter until smooth and add 1 cup of powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Slowly mix (to avoid a powdered sugar cloud) and once combined add the other cup of powdered sugar and the cocoa powder, then mix until smooth. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time until you have reached your desired consistency.

I promise they will not disappoint and you will be celebrating National Chocolate Day the best way possible!