Fudge Frosted Brownies
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If plain brownies aren’t decadent enough for you, try fudge frosted brownies! We’re making a REAL fudge for the frosting–so easy and no candy thermometer needed. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Ultimate Fudgy Brownies
Fudge frosted brownies are for those of us who prefer our chocolate with a side of even more chocolate! They are exactly what they sound like: easy brownies topped with a thick, decadent, fudgy frosting that tastes and feels just like real chocolate fudge. The whole recipe is surprisingly easy to make and really takes the brownies to the next level!
Why This Recipe WORKS
- Easy brownie base. I wanted to keep the brownies themselves simple since we’re going through the effort of making a frosting. Using my recipe for cocoa powder brownies did the trick! That recipe starts with melted butter, which allows us to 1) avoid the need for a mixer and 2) bloom the cocoa. This keeps things easy AND gives us the most chocolatey flavor without needing to chop or melt any chocolate (for the brownies, at least)!
- Real fudge topping. Many frosted brownie recipes opt for ganache or chocolate buttercream–we are using REAL fudge today, and it makes all the difference. The recipe is a slight adaptation from my fudge frosting recipe (and the idea originates from the frosting my grandmother always made for her hot milk cake).
- No candy thermometer needed! We’ll simply cook our frosting til the chocolate melts, then remove and finish off the heat. Easy peasy!
What You Need
Nothing crazy here today–if you bake regularly, you may already have everything on hand.
- Dutch cocoa powder. My taste testers and I all preferred the brownies made with Dutch cocoa; it gives a deeper flavor that contrasts against the fudge frosting more than natural cocoa. Natural cocoa will work in a pinch, though, and you’ll still have good brownies.
- Unsweetened chocolate. This is for the frosting. You will need 3 oz, which is not quite a full bar. I always try to keep things even so I did try the recipe with 4 oz and it is just not quite right with that much, and increasing all the ingredients proportionately leaves you with too much frosting, so 3 oz it is. Chop this up so it melts quickly–we’ll be cooking it on the stove to make our frosting. Semisweet chocolate isn’t ideal here, it makes the frosting too sweet.
- Butter. Note that I use salted butter in the frosting and unsalted butter in the brownies themselves. If you only have salted butter on hand, reduce the salt in the brownies to a heaping ¼ teaspoon. If you only have unsalted butter, use a heaping ¼ teaspoon in the frosting. Not trying to make things complicated, just sharing what gives me the best-tasting results.
- Vanilla extract. The perfect complement to all that chocolate, this adds depth and richness. We’ll add this to the brownies and the fudge frosting.
- Whole milk. I recommend using whole milk here for best results; it helps the frosting set properly and creates a rich texture. I haven’t tested plant-based or lower fat milks in this recipe.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Sam’s Tip
Add the cocoa powder to the butter while it is still hot! This will help “bloom” the cocoa and bring out a deep, rich chocolate flavor.
How to Make Fudge Frosted Brownies (Step-by-Step)
- Make the batter. Melt the butter in a large bowl, then immediately stir in the cocoa powder while the butter is hot. Add the wet ingredients and whisk again until smooth, then stir in the flour, salt, and chocolate chips (if using).
- Bake. Pour the batter into a parchment lined baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with fudgy crumbs, about 23 minutes. Let the brownies cool while you make your fudge frosting.
- Make the frosting. Stir the chopped chocolate, butter, and milk over low heat. Once the chocolate melts, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in your vanilla and salt. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the powdered sugar; it should become smooth and glossy. Now comes the hard part: waiting for the frosting to thicken (see below).
- Assemble. One your frosting has thickened to the proper consistency (it should have lost its shine and become too thick to drip off your spoon), spread it over your cooled brownies. Let the fudge set, then lift the brownies from the pan (thanks to the parchment!), slice, and enjoy!
Sam’s Tip
Knowing when to apply the frosting is the trickiest part of this recipe. Typically for me, if I let the chocolate mixture sit for 3-5 minutes after it’s cooked and then stir in the powdered sugar, it’s ready to apply almost right away. However, if your chocolate is quite hot, it may stay thinner and need to cool a bit more before being spread over the brownies. If it’s too thin/soft, it can stay that way no matter how long it sits on the brownies, and it just doesn’t thicken as much as I’d like it to. You want it to be fudgy before applying to the brownies.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use this frosting over any brownie you’d like, so a box mix would work just fine as the base. That being said, I really like the pairing as written. The recipe I am sharing here is just as quick and easy as a box mix, and you’ll probably have everything on hand to make it already. You could also use my classic brownies from scratch as a base for a very decadent, fudgy experience.
Peanut butter frosting, coffee frosting, Oreo frosting, and chocolate frosting are a few favorites. If you like fruit and chocolate together, try my strawberry frosting or raspberry buttercream! You would be able to get away with just half a batch of any of these frostings to cover these brownies.
Yes! You can stir in up to ¾ cup of chopped nuts with the mini chocolate chips (or instead of them), if desired. I really like walnuts or pecans.
If you’re feeling extra ambitious, toast your nuts before chopping and adding them to the batter or sometimes I fold them into the fudge frosting or just sprinkle them on top. I have a tutorial on how to toast pecans that will walk you through how to do this (it’s easy).
More Gourmet Brownie Recipes
I also use this fudge frosting on my devil’s food cake recipe–another chocolate-on-chocolate experience!
Enjoy!
Psst… Did you hear I wrote a cookbook?
Fudge Frosted Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ½ cup (50 g) Dutch cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ heaping teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (45 g) mini chocolate chips, optional
Frosting
- 3 oz (85 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) salted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (312 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 9×9’ (23x23cm) baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt your butter, then immediately whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth.8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (50 g) Dutch cocoa powder
- Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk, well until batter is smooth.1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add flour and salt then stir to combine.¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour, ½ heaping teaspoon salt
- Stir in mini chocolate chips, if using.¼ cup (45 g) mini chocolate chips
- Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist, fudgy crumbs.
- While the brownies cool, prepare your frosting.
Make the frosting
- In a medium saucepan, combine chopped chocolate, butter, and milk over low heat and stir until melted. Don’t panic if your mixture looks separated or even oily, it will come together in the next step.3 oz (85 g) unsweetened chocolate, 4 Tablespoons (57 g) salted butter, ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk
- Remove from heat and whisk in salt and vanilla extract.¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Allow the chocolate mixture to cool for several minutes (3-5), then whisk in powdered sugar until frosting is smooth and glossy. Allow frosting to cool slightly, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened – it is ready to spread over the brownies when it begins to lose its shine, and no longer drips off the spoon or whisk but is still spreadable (see note).2 ½ cups (312 g) powdered sugar
- Spread frosting over brownies (it’s OK if they’re still a bit warm), allow the fudge to set completely, then slice and enjoy.
Notes
Frosting
If you add the frosting before it has thickened it will not continue to set properly and will stay rather soft on the brownies. This is fine for eating and still delicious, it just won’t be fudgy, which is what we’re aiming for.Storing
Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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