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Home » Brownies that are Fudgy

Frosted Fudge Brownies - The Only Recipe You Need

Last updated on November 19, 2021 By Anna 7 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

Most of the fudge brownies I make are so rich and dense they don't need frosting, but every so often I crave frosted fudge brownies. This is my all-time favorite recipe. I'd make them more often if I wasn't so lazy about making frosting, but in the end it's always worth it.

frosted fudge brownies

The contrasting textures of a chewy base topped with a sweet, feathery-light chocolate icing satisfies on all counts.

Frosted Fudge Brownies

Comparing to Other Frosted Fudge Brownies

Here's a link to one of my old favorite frosted brownie recipes. I still love that recipe, but this recipe is slightly better. Here's a photo showing these brownies (on the left) and the old favorites (on the right).

Frosted Fudge Brownies


These new are less sweet, a little taller, chewier, and have a soft buttercream icing rather than the sweeter Texas Sheet Cake type icing. While I like both, it's nice to have a little variety. Here's the recipe as I made it. I adjusted the amount of salt and used unsalted butter, weighed the flour for consistency (using too much will give you dry brownies), and added a few notes.

Also, this recipe is originally from Hershey's. I had a link, but they keep rearranging the site so I'm just linking to their main page in case you want to go browse other good brownie recipes.

  • Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
  • Chocolate Fudge Pie
  • Walnut Fudge Brownies
  • Non-Cakey Banana Chocolate Chunk Bars

Recipe

Frosted Fudge Brownies

Frosted Fudge Brownies

Anna
A perfectly balanced brownie (not too fudgy, not too cakey) with a light textured chocolate buttercream frosting.Also, this recipe halves well. To make a half batch, halve all the ingredients and bake in an 8 inch square pan.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24

Ingredients
 

  • ¾ cup natural style unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅔ cup unsalted butter melted and still hot
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 2 cups 14 oz/390 grams granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1-⅓ cups 6 ounces/170 grams) all-purpose flour**
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt use ¼ tsp if using salted butter
  • 1 cup Hershey’s special dark chocolate chips

Frosting

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter softened
  • 2-⅔ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa I used natural style
  • ⅓ cup whole milk whole makes a slightly creamier, silkier icing
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9 inch metal pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
  • Stir together cocoa and baking soda in large bowl. Stir in ⅓ cup of the melted butter, then add boiling water and stir until mixture thickens. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining ⅓ cup butter.
  • Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend completely. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.
  • Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
  • To make the frosting, beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, scraping sides of the bowl often. Beat in vanilla. Spread across cooled brownies.
  • This last step is optional, but I recommend chilling the brownies, then lifting from the pan and slicing them while they are very cold.

Notes

Natural cocoa powder is more acidic than Dutch or "Dark" cocoa powder, and its acidity works in conjunction with the alkaline baking soda to affect the leavening process. You could get away with using dark or Dutch, but the brownies may or may not rise quite as much or they may just have a different texture.
For the flour, make sure not to use too much. If you weigh out 6 oz you'll be fine. If you don't have a scale and are measuring by volume, be sure to aerate and stir the flour and measure it without packing it into to cup. Too much flour can make brownies dry.
Keyword Frosted Brownies
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    I love hearing from other bakers and appreciate helpful comments. Rude ones will be deleted immediately.

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  1. Anna

    May 06, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    Sue, thanks for posting the review! Glad you liked them and that you enjoyed the method.

  2. Sue

    May 06, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    Whoops. I hit submit before I was done. These are excellent. I actually prefer them without the frosting as does my husband. I think it is an apples to oranges comparison to compare these to your other favorite brownies. I like the chewiness of these. I like the brownie/frosting combo of the others. There is a fun factor to making these for the easily amused like me. I liked seeing the cocoa and baking powder foam when adding the hot water. 🙂

  3. Sue

    May 06, 2014 at 6:58 pm

    I made these today.

  4. Sue

    April 23, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    I love your other brownie recipe. I will have to make these sometime. I have the Triple Layer Cheesecake in the freezer and the dough for your spicy gingersnaps in the fridge. I considered making brownies instead of cookies but went with cookies. I should have checked your blog yesterday. This post would have swayed me.

  5. Christine from Cook the Story

    April 23, 2014 at 8:29 am

    They both look great. How could you possibly choose just one?! 🙂

  6. Anna

    April 22, 2014 at 9:16 pm

    Hate to say it, but I think this one is better.

  7. T. Martin

    April 22, 2014 at 8:33 pm

    Is your old favorite still #1 or has this recipe taken over the top spot?

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