I have been quite busy lately and feel like I am being pulled in many different directions. My coping mechanism is brownies with frosting. Many years of stress have led me to perfect several different frostings. I have shared these recipes before (I have even reduced the Mocha Fudge frosting to 140 characters and tweeted it to a fellow blogger) but thought that perhaps somebody else out there might also be overworked and in need of an easy, delicious mood booster. 🙂
I try to avoid controversial subjects on my blog, so I am not going to debate chewy versus dry cakelike brownies, nor am I going to engage in an argument about the merits of naked brownies. I am going to assume that the purists were scared off by my title and that I am talking to kindred spirits. So let’s discuss our favorite ways to frost brownies. Below are my family’s current favorites, which all make enough to cover a 13 x 9 pan of brownies. Leave a link or a recipe for your favorite brownie frosting in the comment section. I wonder how many ways we can come up with to frost a brownie…
My oldest son and my husband like their brownies frosted with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour*
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Stir in milk and vanilla. Gradually add in flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread over cooled brownies.
Notes
When given the choice my daughter is torn between Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting and Peanut Butter Frosting.
Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup milk
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar together. Stir in milk until the mixture reaches the desired spreading consistency. Spread over cooled brownies.
When I want to create truly decadent brownies, I cover them with Mocha Fudge Frosting and then sprinkle them with chopped pecans.
- 6 Tablespoons coffee
- 6 Tablespoon butter, softened
- 6 Tablespoon cocoa
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Combine coffee, butter, cocoa, and vanilla; mix well. Slowly add powdered sugar; beat on med. speed until well mixed.
- If the frosting is too thick you can add a little coffee or milk, if too thin add more sugar. Spread over cooled brownies. I like to spread chopped pecans over the frosting.
My friend Robin shared her favorite frosting for brownies: Cinnamon Cocoa brownies. She says she adds a teaspoon of cinnamon to her brownie recipe to create Cinnamon Cocoa Brownies.
Cinnamon Cocoa Frosting
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
Combine butter, cocoa, cinnamon, and vanilla. Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk. Beat until it reaches a desired spreading consistency. Spread over cooled brownies.
Here are a few more ideas:
Laura from I’m Losing it Here uses peppermint candies to frost her brownies:
Easiest brownie frosting ever: When your brownies come out of the oven, cover the top with York peppermint patties. Let the patties melt, use a knife and frost the top with the melted chocolate and mint and let set.
Creme de Menthe Brownies by Elizabeth of The Adventures of a Newly Employed Librarian
Cola Frosting by Rebecca of Turned Loose who replaces the liquid in her brownie recipe with cola to create Cola Brownies.
3 T butter – melt in saucepan
2 T cocoa – stir in ’til dissolved
Add:
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
2 T Coke or Pepsi
1 t vanilla
Stir until smooth, pour over warm brownies, let set until firm.
How do you frost your brownies?
Erin says
Does anyone know if you can frost brownies and then freeze them? I want to have them ready to go for my son’s baptism. Thanks!
Alea says
Yes, you can freeze brownies after you have frosted them. Just remember it will take time for them to thaw and because of the frosting you can’t rush the process.
Laura says
Easiest brownie frosting ever: When your brownies come out of the oven, cover the top with York peppermint patties. Let the patties melt, use a knife and frost the top with the melted chocolate and mint and let set.
Of course you have to like chocolate mint . . . .
e-Mom says
Dropping in from the Blog Hop… chocolate chip cookie dough frosting on brownies sounds positively outrageous!
Blessings, e-Mom @ Susannah's {Kitchen}
Rebecca says
We just made Cola Brownies…You know, the hardest part is finding someone to polish off that opened can of Pepsi! (ha!)