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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Chocolate Fudge Brownies w/ Chocolate Buttercream Frosting {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off}

Aaaahhhhh.  It's here.  It's finally here.  The day girls all across the country dream of.  Pink hearts and red roses...chocolate and sparkly things...unicorns and glitter (I'm with Flo...).  They wake up in the morning with their hearts all a-flutter, convinced that the birds are chirping louder than usual.  They pull on their crisp, clean outfit with the softest touch.  They paint their nails in glorious hues of love and passion.  They slide on their sexiest, spike-heeled boots or slip into their sweet little kitten heels.  They go through the motions of the day, anticipation in their every move.  

Stolen glances to see if anybody is near.  Time moving simultaneously too slow and too quick.  Their limbs tingle with excitement as the moment nears.  And then it's here.  Jitters.  Nervous smile.  Bones shaking like they're in the snow without a coat.  They make their way to the designated spot....
...just in time to flip open their laptop and check out the first post in the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off!  They can barely contain the moans...the gasps that threaten to slip past their perfectly lacquered lips.  Chocolate.  Fudge.  Buttercream.  FROSTING!  

And just like that, they knew the wait was worth it.  Chocolate and hearts.  Love and ecstasy.  

It was everything a brownie should be.  Rich and fudgy with the smoothest, creamiest, most seductive chocolate frosting in existence.  Yes.  Girls all across the country will fall asleep satisfied tonight.
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Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

by Heather Schmitt-González
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert chocolate birthday bars
Ingredients (1 - 8" or 9" pan)
    brownies:
    • ¾ c. all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp. baking powder
    • ½ tsp. salt
    • ½ c. (1 stick/4 oz.) butter
    • 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
    • ½ c. packed brown sugar
    • ½ c. granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
    • ½ c. semisweet chocolate chips
    frosting:
    • ¾ c. (1½ sticks/12 oz.) butter, at room temperature
    • ½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
    • ½ tsp. salt
    • 2½-3 c. powdered sugar, sifted
    • 2 Tbs. milk
    • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
    • scant ½ c. heavy cream
    • ⅓ c. Ovaltine (chocolate malt powder)
    Instructions
    brownies:
    Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 350° F. Grease and flour an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish and set aside. If you want to be able to lift the whole square of brownies out of the pan, line it with a long strip of parchment paper (to form a cradle), greasing and flouring that, as well.

    Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

    Bring a couple inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Set a heatproof bowl containing the butter and unsweetened chocolate over the top of, but not touching the simmering water and allow to melt. (Or do it carefully in the microwave.) Stir to incorporate. Remove from simmering water once melted.

    Whisk in both sugars. Whisk in eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once to the chocolate mixture, stir well to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.

    Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes (8" pan) or 20-24 minutes (9" pan), or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
    frosting (use half of this to frost brownies and save other half for something else):
    Cream together butter, cocoa powder, and salt with the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, for ~3 minutes. Mixture will be very thick.

    Turn off mixer, scrape down sides of bowl and add 2½ cups of the powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low to incorporate sugar while adding the milk and vanilla. As sugar incorporates, gradually increase mixer speed to medium-high. Stop & scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat until smooth.

    Stir together cream and Ovaltine. Turn the mixer to medium, and pour the cream in a slow and steady stream until frosting reaches your desired consistency, adding more powdered sugar, if needed. Frosting should be smooth, creamy, and spreadable.

    Spread half of frosting onto cooled brownies (use the rest for cake, cupcakes, cookies, graham crackers, eating from a spoon, etc.).

    Frosting will last, well wrapped, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Brownies will last, well wrapped, for up to 5 days at room temperature.

    slightly adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook
    Powered by Recipage
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    Oh yeah.  And it's Valentine's Day...and my Anniversary.   Happy Valentine's Day everyone - I wish you many Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting...and Happy Anniversary, mi amor!
    *This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*
    JTB Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off Banner

    I am also sharing this post with:
    FOTMC: Chocolate
    FOTM at La Cocina de Leslie Tasty Tuesdays 33 shades of green TastyTuesdayBB hearthnsoul150 crazy sweet tuesday sweet treats thursday

    Would you like to comment?

    1. Such a simple yet delicious idea. Love this!

      Catherine(Click here to enter my anthropologie kitchen tools giveaway.)

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    2. These are adorable....
      Such a creative idea ...
      Love this.

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    3. special cakes for special days
       

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    4. Yummy. Love the hearts!!

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    5. Happy anniversary!! So cute, I love that you made hearts with these. Your photos are gorgeous!! I did hearts with the crackers, lol. 

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    6. I will be dreaming of chocolate heather!

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    7. These are amazing! I love the hearts!!!Happy Valentine's day!

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    8. Everything tastes better when it's in the shape of a heart!  Your brownies look thick and fudgy and dense.  I can't wait to make mine later today.  I was thinking of cutting the recipe for the frosting in half, but the rave reviews have me thinking I'll go ahead and make the whole batch :)

      Happy Anniversary & Happy Valentine's Day!

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    9. So cute! I will definitely be making these soon! 

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    10. Thanks Trix!  I saw your heart crackers ♥ (I made a few, too)!

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    11. It does, doesn't it!?  Oh man, just wait - they're stellar!  Yeah.  DON'T halve the recipe...the frosting is so good. Happy Valentine's day to you, too! (and thanks)

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    12. These are so pretty. And ohmygoodness they look delicious. Thanks for sharing on Crazy Sweet Tuesday!

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    13. Absolutely adorable! Great way to make brownies to fit the celebration of love. :)

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    14. Happy Anniversary Heather! These were so good - chocolatey rich - but good. Love your pics and the great heart shape. Enjoy your Valentine's Day!

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    15. Happy Anniversary, Heather!  Great idea to make hearts.  Your pictures make me want to bake these all over again.

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    16. ThemadscientistskitchenFebruary 14, 2012 at 11:44 AM

      Looks so delicious. Can I get a lick at them? Happy valentines.

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    17. How adorable!!! My daughter would flip for these! She's my li'l brownie monster ;)

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    18. Que bonitos y que buenos.

      Saludos

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    19. Woohoo! And what a way to kick off the spotlight. I'm posting my brownies on Friday. And dang were they good.

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    20. They came out so pretty; never would have thought to pretty up my brownies like this; Hope you are having a good one.
      Rita

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    21. Love these, especially that you frost them before you cut.. Makes it so much easier. Happy Valentine's Day!

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    22. These are cute! Happy Valentine's Day, Heather!

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    23. Oh wow these look incredible!
      Happy Valentines Day to you and your family Heather!

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    24. Happy Anniversary and what a way to celebrate, love the hearts and am still kicking myself for not frosting these bad boys.. yummy!!

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    25. Belated Anniversary wishes! So fun to celebrate your anniversary on Valentine's Day, more reason for oodles of fun and food! :D These brownies look awesome as part of your celebration!

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    26. These look beautiful, and so, so delicious! Thank you for sharing them. I hope you and your husband had a lovely anniversary, and a very happy Valentine's Day! 

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    27. your photography and food styling is getting so good! i went with the crackers, but now thinking maybe i should have made the brownies too!  thank you for organizing this great cookbook cook off!

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    28. I haven't been able to think of anything else since you posted this recipe.  But I'm afraid to make them because I'll probably want to eat the whole batch all by myself!  These remind me of these amazing brownies one my friends' mom'made for the school bake sale every week.  If these are half as good as I think they are, then I'm definitely not going to want to share them. :P   

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    29. Your brownies are so cute heart-shaped. They were divine--the frosting was SO GOOD! I am happy I only made a half-batch of it though as I would have been spooning it into my mouth constantly if there was any more in my house. ;-)

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