The Best Brownie Recipe With Chocolate Frosting
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Let me introduce you to the best brownie recipe ever. With a creamy chocolate frosting, make a big batch of these homemade chocolate fudge brownies and you’ll make any chocolate lover’s day (or year).
Welcome to the best fudge brownie recipe! I use this homemade brownies recipe when I want to make a big batch of brownies all at once, as it makes anywhere from 30-40 servings. I promise that these brownies are fudgy and moist with a deep chocolate flavor. They’re finished off with the perfect spreading of creamy chocolate frosting. Although I have several brownie recipes in my personal collection, this one is a favorite of both of the men in my house.
Fortunately, these homemade brownies are super easy to make from scratch. You just have to slowly combine all of the ingredients (I bet most are sitting in your pantry right now) and then bake your brownies for about 25 minutes. Once cool, top them with the creamy chocolate frosting, which is also very quick and easy to make.
If you’re like me and think the fewer dishes the better, whip up the big batch of brownies in one large bowl and then wash that same bowl to make the icing in to lessen the mess. Aside from that, you’ll just dirty up an 18×13 baking sheet (this is a standard half-sheet size), like this. I buy these in two packs for about $15 at Sam’s Club and I have been using them for years – they are the best baking sheets I’ve ever had.
Alright, I think it’s time we make a big batch of chocolate fudge brownies, what do you think?
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Butter (a lot)
- Eggs (a lot)
- A wee bit of milk
How to Make the Best Brownie Recipe Ever
Melt your butter however you see fit to melt it and set it aside to cool a bit.
Put your eggs in a large bowl. Beat the eggs up with an electric mixer. By the way, if you have a stand mixer this batter will just fit in that bowl so go for it.
Add in sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat for about a minute or until it’s good and blended.
Add in the flour, melted butter, and milk and beat again until well combined and a good brownie batter is formed, scraping down the sides as needed during the mixing process.
This is my finished batter. If this recipe was just for the batter, I’d call it “luxurious brownie batter”. But this recipe is not just for the batter because you don’t really eat raw brownie batter with a spoon because we live in a fallen world. And that is all I will say about that. ~sniff~
Spread into a greased 18 x 13 half sheet pan (I just spray it with nonstick cooking spray).
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.
Make sure the middle is set and done before you remove it from the oven. I know this doesn’t seem like a lot of time but your batter is kinda thin here and spread out over a large area.
These are my cooked brownies. Hi, brownies!!! (y’all wave at my brownies)
How to make the creamy chocolate frosting for brownies
Now clean out that mixing bowl and make up your icing.
(I can’t believe you didn’t wash it while the brownies were baking. Okay, totally believe that. Batter bowls have gone for days in my house without being washed. It gives my sink purpose though so I don’t fret. Never a bad thing to give something purpose, right?).
For the frosting, just put everything in the bowl and beat the heck out of it with an electric mixer until it is smooth and creamy. Y’all have seen me beat the heck out of things before so I’ll spare you the pictures.
Let your big batch brownies cool a bit and then spread the icing on them.
Sprinkle with nuts immediately after icing, if desired.
I usually don’t use nuts because they are outrageously expensive and it seems 9 out of 10 kids are allergic to them these days, but today got the better of me, and I just *NEEDED* walnuts on top of my . I gave in to my desires. Back to that fallen world thing, I am a fallen creature. But I feel better now so can we move on from this instead of focusing on my failures, mmkay?
Here, have a taste of the best brownie recipe ever.
Storage
Because of the frosting, you’ll want to store your brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the brownies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before serving.
Recipe Notes
- If you want to make a smaller amount of brownies, you can half this recipe yourself and make it in a 9×13 baking dish, but I don’t recommend that. Instead, I suggest you just make this big batch brownies recipe according to my instructions and then share the brownies with folks. We have a severe shortage of people who share brownies in our society!
- If you use self-rising flour, the brownie batter will overflow the pan and make a mess in your oven. And if you use a smaller-sized pan from what I am using, your brownie mix will overflow the pan either in a big way or small way (depends on the size of the pan) and make a mess in your oven.
- I promise you’ll live if you use salted butter. The extra salt won’t be noticed and might even add a nice little touch. Just don’t bother adding the salt listed in the ingredients.
- If you use skim milk, almond milk, rice milk, buttermilk, evaporated milk, goat’s milk, etc in place of the whole milk I am using, you’ll be fine in the brownies and most likely in the icing. I’d try to use the richest milk I could in the brownie frosting if I were you. I use whole milk but have used two percent before and the earth did not shift on its axis.
- Enjoy your with a scoop of
- Make this brownie recipe the best for you by adding in one cup of any of the below:
- crushed nuts: peanuts, walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- dried fruits: dates, cranberries, or raisins.
- shredded coconut
- chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (because there’s no such thing as too much ).
- diced marshmallows
- peanut butter chips
Because you can never bake too many brownies:
Peanut Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Fudge Icing
Valentine’s Day Brownies With Frosting
Ingredients
- 7 large eggs
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup milk
Icing ingredients
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until broken and blended, about a minute.7 large eggs
- Add the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract to the eggs and beat until well blended.4 cups sugar, 2 cups cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour, melted butter, and milk to the brownie batter and mix until well blended, scraping down sides as needed.3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups unsalted butter, 1/2 cup milk
- Spread into a greased half sheet pan (18x13) and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until set in the center. Allow the brownies to cool slightly before icing.
To make chocolate frosting
- Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread onto the cooled brownies.2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 cups confectioner's sugar
Nutrition
The world would be a better place if more people made brownies and shared them with others. ~Christy
I don’t have one of those half sheet pans that you talk about. Can I use a 9×13 glass dish? I know I’ll probably have to make two batches, but I have no problem with that! These look yummy and just the thing to take to a church pot luck dinner!
You sure could, but yes, you will need to half the batter into 2 pans, or cook one half, then do the other half.
Christy,
If you half the recipe and cook it in a 9 X 13 pain, what would the time be? Just the same? Thank you!
This is Pinned, and printed!! I wish like crazy I lived near you, because I think you’d make about the best friend a girl could have! I love reading your blog, and using your recipes.
Thank you so much for the love MaryEllen, you are the best!!!
Christy: I think you are a great blogger; so much so that I read this recipe even though I can’t have chocolate, and will never be able to make it. I read it just for the pleasure of your writing.
Your stove looks nice. Lots cleaner than mine! (and a lot newer and with spiffy features), but, although mine is 35-40 years old now, I was really upset the summer before last when I thought I’d lose it and have to get a new one. Part of me was excited about all the new bells and whistles, but. . .
New stoves don’t have storage compartments in the side, or an interchangeable griddle/extra burner in the center. I’d even forgotten about that feature, as we never used it, and I discovered the totally-forgotten extra burner gear by accident one day when I was cleaning out the storage compartment. I can change the griddle to a burner? Who knew? New stoves don’t have the decades of sentiment and nostalgia and links to family members that are no longer with me.
Luckily, it just needed a new igniter. The temperature markings on the oven control knob were really melty and grungy. It just looked horrible. I tried getting a replacement knob and couldn’t, so I took umpteen digital pictures of the knob, ( and saved them, and put a cheat sheet in the kitchen).
I filed grooves at all of the positions on the edge of the knob with the edge of a Swiss Army knife file and used a Sharpie to mark those notches after I scrubbed the knob clean. Then, each notch got either a number or a temperature. It works, and doesn’t look half bad, if I do say so myself.
If anyone else has the same problem and can’t find a replacement knob, this is a pretty good solution and it’s easy to do. It beats both a grungy knob, and a very clean one with no information at all on it, and the Sharpie marks can always be refreshed if need be, and I have all of the pictures as a guide. Most importantly, I still have my good old stove.
ohhhh yum Christmas just popped in my head and using a cream cheese frosting of Red & Green !!!!!! Have you ever made these ahead and froze them and then icing after they thaw??
Ooh! Check out these! You could do the same with this recipe : https://www.southernplate.com/christmas-tie-dyed-cheesecake-brownies/
Wondering what flour could be utilzed to convert these to gluten free. Thanks
Hi Darcy, I am not sure. Luckily none of us have a problem with Gluten so I am not sure. Maybe someone else can chime in and give you some suggestions.
almond meal, maybe rice flour. I saw a recipe for nutella brownies with almond meal. That stuff is super pricey, but for those with serious reasons for avoiding gluten, it looks like a great idea. And almonds are yummy!
….mmmmm!! Thanks for the brownie! Your right, not enough sharing going on!. Here is my hug to you. ( ) and thank you for having some streaks on the stove. that soothed my heart. And just made me feel like a kindred spirit.
Your awesome!! would you like a glass of milk?
You are awesome!! I would LOVE a glass a milk!!! 🙂
i absolutely agree And brewnios, really, are pretty hard to mess up- which might be the best part about them! So glad you got your cookies, I hope they were in tact!
OOPS.. I didn’t finish my post (accidentally hit enter…)
Any hooo- haven’t had a brownie in forever.
Keep up the fun posting and those yummy recipes. Maybe ONE DAY I’ll really cook. Ha-Ha.
Your children are so blessed to have you for a mom. God Bless.
You are so sweet Becky!!! Thank you so much for putting up with me and for coming around when you can, I sure do appreciate it, especially considering you are coming to visit most times 🙂
As far as not having brownies, I feel your gluten pain! Every time bloggers get together it seems like we end up addressing how hard it must be for celiac sufferers and truly gluten intolerant folks to be taken seriously in today’s climate of everyone raising their hand and jumping on the gluten free bandwagon. I know a lot of folks have kind of become immune to it and assume there aren’t any real problems, when I know for a fact that folks like you have to live with it every day.
Have you checked out Krusteaz’s gluten free brownie mix? I’ve used it before and I have to tell you, their mixes are excellent and I think you’d be pretty thrilled with their brownies. I don’t want you doing without!!
Ooh! Ooh!
**raises hand and frantically shakes it, Arnold Horseshack-style**
I don’t personally have any problems with gluten, but I recently enjoyed a brownie (OK, so it was THREE brownies) made from Aldi’s store brand gluten-free mix. I usually snurl my nose up at anything gluten-free, but those were some DELICIOUS brownies! I highly recommend them. 🙂
Aldi’s has some of the BEST STUFF! I’m happy to hear your recommendation and will be sure to pass it along whenever the need arises! Thank you!
Are these brownies chewy? I have someone that wants chewy brownies
Hey! I wouldn’t call these really chewy. It’s more of a sturdy brownie.
The recipe I use is more cake like. I think I’ll give yours a try. Thanks