I honestly can’t believe in all my years of blogging I have yet to post this brownie recipe. I have no idea why it’s taken me this long. This was the very first recipe I ever baked all on my own and basically the one that got me into baking in the first place. So it’s kind of special.
My mom use to make these brownies for my sister and I all the time when we were kids and we loved them! I don’t know why but I never really helped her make them until I was in my teens (maybe around 16). And soon the torch was passed down to me and I was making them all by myself.
It’s such a simple recipe that it’s perfect for the newbie baker. I really started to love the process of baking them. It was relaxing and therapeutic. So much so in fact, that I became so good at making them that I probably could’ve done it with my eyes closed. Just goes to show how often I made them, ha! And even though I don’t make them half as much as I used to it’s still a recipe I know by heart.
Best Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
(Recipes adapted from here)
These brownies are rich and fudgy all on their own but the addition of the fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting makes them a little more decadent. They are also so quick and easy to whip up.
Over the years I have tried many brownie recipes on a quest to find the perfect brownie. But somehow I always come back to this one. Now I know that some people feel really passionate about how they like their brownies. There are some that turn their noses up at a brownie with frosting and wonder what you are trying to hide. Some people like them super gooey and under baked while some like them cakey (that’s a pet peeve of mine actually, it’s like, just make cake! Brownies are meant to be fudgy! Ok, rant over).
Fudgy, cakey, chewy, with frosting or without… oh what’s a baker do do?!
This is the great brownie debate, my friends. It’s a debate that is as polarizing as politics and religion. Well at least to crazy obsessed bakers and foodies like myself. For me personally, it just depends on my mood. In the interest of full disclosure, I really think that Starbucks makes a great brownie and it would just be wrong to frost it. But when I make them at home and I want something a little rich and extra chocolaty, I need the frosting.
But you have to do what is right for you. These brownies are just as good without the frosting really. So which ever side of the great brownie debate you land on I just hope you give these a try! These are the brownies that started my love of baking and it’s a recipe that will always be my go to. Finish them off with some pretty sprinkles and you will be in brownie heaven! :)
Ingredients:
1 stick butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
chocolate chips (optional)
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan. In a large bowl cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well. In a small bowl stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until incorporated. Add in chocolate chips, if desired. I never measure the chips but I probably add in maybe a 1/4 cup. Spread into pan and bake for 20 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool completely and spread on frosting.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Hands down my favorite go to chocolate buttercream. It’s always so creamy, rich, and fluffy. I want to put it on everything.
Ingredients:
1 stick butter (room temp)
3-4 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. heavy cream or half & half
Directions:
In a medium bowl beat butter till light & fluffy. Add in cocoa and beat till incorporated. On low speed, beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add in vanilla and heavy cream and beat 2-3 minutes till fluffy.
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