Frosted Fudgy Brownies

These brownies are completely fantastic. Some of the best brownies I have ever made. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com. I pretty much followed the recipe but did not add nuts and since the brownie part is very dark chocolate, I used milk & semisweet chocolate in the frosting so it would sweeten the whole thing. The recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate in both the brownies and the icing. I'm happy with my results. I did not use my kitchen aid mixer for this recipe. Just used a large bowl and a spatula in my hand and they turned out perfect. The brownies developed that wonderful flaky top, which on their own would be delicious but the icing was absolutely fabulous. I have not made icing like this before and will definitely make it again. I might even make like a triple batch of this icing and frost a whole cake with it - it's that good. Very smooth and creamy. Instead of placing the hot pan/bowl of cooked icing in the fridge to thicken, I placed the pan in the sink in some ice water. I stirred it every few minutes and it was sufficiently thickened in about 15 minutes.

In the mood for chocolate? Try making these today! Wonderful recipe and very easy.

I actually made these last night so they have set overnight. The frosting is still extremely creamy and smooth but not sticky on top.

Yeah, these are definitely fudgy brownies so if you are a cakey brownie lover, then these aren't your thing.

Scrumptious Frosted Fudgy Brownies
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

8 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate 1 cup butter 5 eggs 3 cups white sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups chopped walnuts

1 1/4 cups white sugar 1 cup heavy cream 5 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Place 8 ounces of baking chocolate with 1 cup of butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High until the chocolate is soft and the butter has melted, about 2 minutes. Stir to mix.
2.	Place the eggs, 3 cups of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract in a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and beat in the melted butter-chocolate mixture. Beat in the flour until just combined (do not overmix), and stir in the chopped walnuts. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with fudgy crumbs, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pan before frosting.
4.	To make frosting, combine 1 1/4 cup of sugar with the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer for 7 minutes without stirring.
5.	Remove the cream mixture from the heat, and stir in 5 ounces of baking chocolate and 1/2 cup butter, stirring to melt and blend the chocolate. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; whisk until smooth. Place the frosting in the refrigerator and stir every few minutes until the frosting is chilled and thick, about 30 minutes. Frost the cooled brownies, and cut into squares.