The Best Brownie Recipe With Chocolate Frosting (2024)

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).

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Jump to Recipe

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?

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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

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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.

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Add in sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat for about a minute or until it’s good and blended.

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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.

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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~

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Spread into a greased 18 x 13 half sheet pan (I just spray it with nonstick cooking spray).

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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.

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These are my cooked brownies. Hi, brownies!!! (y’all wave at my brownies)

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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.

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Let your big batch brownies cool a bit and then spread the icing on them.

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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 fudgy brownie. 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?

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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.

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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 fudgy brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
  • 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 chocolate flavor).
    • diced marshmallows
    • peanut butter chips

Because you can never bake too many brownies:

Tie-Dyed Cheesecake Brownies

Coffee Brownies Recipe

Recipe for Oreo Brownies

Peanut Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Fudge Icing

Valentine’s Day Brownies With Frosting

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Big Batch Brownies

This best brownie recipe ever features a big batch of homemade chocolate fudge brownies made with a creamy chocolate frosting.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brownies, chocolate, icing

Servings: 30 -40

Calories: 466kcal

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

Calories: 466kcal

Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

The world would be a better place if more people made brownies and shared them with others. ~Christy

The Best Brownie Recipe With Chocolate Frosting (2024)

FAQs

Are brownies better with or without frosting? ›

Generally, our thinking was if the brownie was more fudgy and dense, no frosting is required. But when the brownie is cakey, a little frosting makes it just like eating a small piece of chocolate cake, which is never bad. Our favourite fudgy brownie is The Best Chocolate Toffee Brownies above.

What does adding an extra egg to brownie mix do? ›

If you want to get a little more creative with your brownie mix hacks, add an extra egg to the batter. The extra protein will help thicken up the batter and make it fluffier, creating a more decadent, fudgy texture. You can also add the yolk by itself in addition to the 2 eggs a box brownie mix typically calls for.

What can I add to brownies to make them better? ›

Stir in semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, and shards off the block for a chocolate brownie that's even more chocolaty. If you have leftover holiday treats, crumble in candy bars, peppermints, chopped candied ginger, or crushed cookies.

What happens if you use milk instead of water in brownie mix? ›

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

Do brownies with frosting need to be refrigerated? ›

Do Brownies Need to Be Refrigerated? Brownies don't need to be refrigerated, but they'll hold up a few more days if they are. Unless your brownies include more perishable ingredients like fresh fruit or cream cheese frosting, they'll be fine at room temperature as long as they're stored in an airtight container.

Why do people put frosting on brownies? ›

I find frosted brownies ridiculously delicious. It's like cake, but better, and I'm pretty particular about my baked goods. Frosted brownies pairs fudgy, rich brownies with that delicious stuff typically reserved for cake and cupcakes: frosting!

What makes brownies fudgy vs cakey? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

What happens if you forget to put eggs in brownies? ›

Is it okay to make brownies without eggs? Without eggs, baked goods will become a little thinner and not rise as much in the oven. As long as you replace the moisture from the egg with milk, banana or applesauce, you can make brownies without eggs. And yes, this recipe makes thinner brownies than normal.

Is butter or oil better for brownies? ›

In brownies, both butter and oil will offer a moist, tender texture, but only butter will give the dish the aeration needed for rising brownies well. If you use a cake brownie, butter is a better option because it helps rise the batter. For denser, fudge type brownies, oil is permissable.

How to jazz up brownies? ›

8 ways to upgrade your mix
  1. 1. Fruits. To add fruit flavors to brownies, I like to use a combination of fresh fruit pieces and jam. ...
  2. Thick sauces. ...
  3. Cheesecake. ...
  4. Cookies, candy pieces and nuts. ...
  5. Espresso, extracts and spices. ...
  6. Alcohol. ...
  7. Spreads (like peanut butter, nutella or marshmallow fluff) ...
  8. Frosting.
Dec 30, 2021

How to enhance chocolate flavor in brownies? ›

Adding a small quantity of espresso powder to your brownies enhances the flavor of the chocolate, adding additional richness and depth.

What is the best oil to make brownies with? ›

Oil – While many recipes for brownies use unsalted butter, Michelle's calls for canola oil, just like the boxed mix. I use olive oil because it's what I keep on hand, and I love the rich flavor. Vanilla Extract – 1/2 teaspoon vanilla really amps up the chocolate flavor.

How many eggs do Betty Crocker brownies need? ›

Prep Instructions

*For cakelike brownies, use 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 3 eggs.

What can I substitute for 1/2 cup of oil in brownies? ›

Melted, unsalted butter is the perfect substitute for oil, and can even add a richer flavor to baked recipes. Swap in butter for oil in a 1:1 ratio, melting butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Vegan butter or ghee can also work in this instance.

What is the best way to eat brownies? ›

One way to serve our brownies is to heat them up ever so slightly until they are warm and gooey throughout, and then serve them with your preferred ice cream flavour. A personal favourite of ours would be Salted Caramel, but there are many options out there to choose from.

What makes brownies cakey vs fudgy? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

How to decorate brownies without icing? ›

Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top for a simple decoration. Arrange your brownies on a plate and then use a sifter to pour the sugar over the top. It's important to run the sugar through a sifter to get an even and fluffy spread over all of your brownies.

Is it best to frost brownies hot or cold? ›

Frosting Considerations: Only frost your brownies once they have completely cooled. This ensures that the frosting doesn't melt into a sticky mess and allows for a clean and beautiful presentation. Most frostings include butter which will melt when spread onto hot brownies.

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