These brownies are special because they are my Grandma’s Brownies. There are no other brownies out there quite like hers. These are the thickest, most delicious brownies you will ever eat with a fudge type frosting on top. I’ve been told these are the best brownies…ever.
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe for a long time and I am not quite sure why I haven’t. This is my grandma’s brownie recipe, with no alternations, just hers. I think part of me wanted to keep it just to us because recipes are special…grandma’s are special.
I just visited my grandma with my two daughters and mom and although it was quite the adventure…staying in a hotel for the first time with my 3 year old – of course she got the stomach bug and got sick in bed and then in the car on the way home. The pool at the hotel was of course “out of order” so we were stuck with not a lot to do other than Target dollar bin art stuff (thank God for that though!). With all this said…it was hard, tiring and a little stressful but at the end of the day my 100 year old grandma got to see my girls and we took pictures. It was wonderful.
Since then I’ve been thinking about my grandma. She was the kindest person, funny and loved to bake. I can only hope this is how my granddaughter will describe me someday. Her life has been full…she has loved, been loved, STILL LOVES, ate good food, had the cleanest house in the world, and she made the best freaking brownies.
My mom makes these all the time for her get togethers with friends. They always get devoured and she always gets rave reviews. She laughs because we have eaten these brownies for years and we knew they were good, but I don’t think we realized just how amazing they really are.
First, they are the thickest brownies you will ever eat. The batter is crazy good…so thick and full of cocoa flavor. You will definitely want to lick the spoon for this one.
I love when you spread a batter out and it leaves the “spreading lines.” It just emphasizes how good these are actually going to be.
You bake this delicious batter for about 30 minutes and let it cool until it’s warm then….
they’re topped with the most unusual delicious frosting that sets up like fudge. This is what makes these brownies stand apart from any other brownies out there. The frosting seals in all the goodness and adds a thick layer of additional cocoa flavor and sweetness.
You end up with these – a moist, thick, fudgey brownie with a cocoa fudge icing.
I mean…these look pretty damn good.
Then you bite into one and everything is right in the world. I take a bite of these and yes, I taste an amazing brownie, but I also feel the love of my grandma.
These are special and I am happy to share them with you because I hope they become special to you, too.
Enjoy my friends!
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- 3 sticks (24 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk (suggest using 2% or whole)
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons milk (use at least 2% milk fat)
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking with non-stick spray.
- Cream together butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Mix cocoa powder, flour and salt in a bowl.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk in three stages mixing on low speed until incorporated - dry ingredients, milk, dry ingredients, milk then dry ingredients.
- Pour into prepared pan, spread evenly and bake for 30 minutes. Once done baking, let cool for 30 minutes before frosting. Don't completely cool though...you want the brownies to be slightly warm when frosted.
- To make the frosting add the butter, milk and granulated sugar to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat, stir in salt and chocolate chips. Whisk vigorously until smooth then immediately pour onto warm brownies spreading before it starts to set. The frosting starts to harden quickly so work fast! Let brownies set for at least an one hour before cutting into them.
funny this frosting is the same as what my mom’s recipe for brownies uses…..so good!!!
it’s a good one!
Jessica would these be fine without the frosting?
I’ve never made them without it. I truly believe the frosting is what makes these special.
Can I use 1\2 cup cocoa powder instead of 1 cup chocolate chips?
(I mean in the frosting)
nope!
love the recipe just perfect
so glad you like it! We love it, too!
Can you put chocolate chips in the batter?
Sure! I prefer them without the chocolate chips, though.
I am wondering if the Cocoa powder is suppose to be the unsweetened or the hot chocolate type Cocoa powder?
Thanks
unsweetened!
Can you use self rising flour
I’ve never used it for this recipe but I think it would be fine.
I could only find unsweetened cocoa powder, which is what I used . The cake wasn’t too sweet which is nice because the frosting is Uber sweet. Also , I used the term “cake” because that’s what it turned out like . Did I do something wrong? I was hoping for a more fudgy texture
It’s considered a cake brownie but because it’s so dense it has a fudge texture. You may have baked them too long.
So…. I just made these yesterday for the second time. Awesome recipe!! However I see after reading comments it says cocoa powder and NOT unsweetened cocoa. Ooops ! Still awesome. I added a tablespoon of espresso power – next level good I also think they are best cold !
YUM! So glad you enjoyed them. I can see how they would be really good cold. Thanks for sharing!
Is it ok to make a day ahead and do you refrigerate them?
Thanks
yep of course! You don’t have to refrigerate them but you can.
Do you or can you add nuts?
sure!
My boyfriend’s Norwegian family (the Johnson’s) make the best brownies ever (calls them Grandma Johnson brownies) and it tastes similar to this recipe (especially the fudge part) except with a thin brownie layer! I wanted to make a replica for my boyfriend’s birthday since they won’t even give him the recipe so I googled “grandma Johnson brownies” without expecting to find a similar brownie but I actually saw pictures of this recipe and thought “wow, they look a bit similar” so I made them and they came out fantasticccccc. Both recipes are good but I think I prefer yours because of the thickness of the brownie!
this is great! So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi thanks for the recipe..
i will try this out this weekend. btw, u didn’t put any baking powder? thanks
nope! Not necessary!
Hi
Are you able to bake and then freeze these?
yes!
Would it be okay to use salted butter instead of unsalted butter? If so, should I not add the salt? Thanks!
yes it’s fine! Do not add any extra salt then!
Just to clarify, 3 sticks go in the batter and then you need almost a whole additional stick of butter for the frosting?
yes. 🙂
I made your Grandmas Brownies yesterday. They are delicious & the icing is very nice. Thanks for posting this recipe. I’ll be making them again.
you’re welcome!
Hi there! Do you use a glass pan or a metal pan for these brownies and does it make a difference with the cooking time?
Hi! I use a metal pan, but you can use glass. I would reduce baking time by 10-15 minutes. Check for doneness then continue baking as needed.
Would a creamy peanut butter frosting work with these brownies?
sure!
My husband loves brownies with peanut butter chips. Do you think adding those to the batter would turn out?
I like that combo, too! I’m not sure these are the type of brownies that need any type of chip added to them. With that said, yes it could totally work but it might be better for the other brownie recipe on my blog. Just search “Brownies” and all of them will pop up. 🙂
Would these be good if I made them two weeks ahead and froze them?
yes!
I’m not really a fan of brownies but I was looking for a one-pan dessert to share with neighbors and liked your description. OMG, they are absolutely delicious! Not to mention fast and easy too. Thanks so much for sharing and hats off to your grandmother for creating this wonderful recipe. It’s a keeper!
Thank you so much!
Hai Jessica,
I am Ziera from Malaysia…would like to try your brownies coz it looks so yummy…just wanna clear something, 3 stick of unsalted butter is it same as 250gm ?
Hi! According to what I looked up on google it’s 339 grams. Hope that helps!
okey…thank you..
Hey Jessica , should the butter be melt or not ??
Nope, you don’t melt the butter for the brownies. Just make sure it’s room temp.
Very good, no doubt about that. However they are more cake like than brownie like
yes! They are more of a cake brownie than a fudge brownie.
Do you think I could double this recipe and cook them in a half sheet pan? I need a lot to bring to a party.
yes that would probably be fine. Just check them half way through. I can tell you that the 9×13 does make a lot. I cut them pretty small because they’re so thick and fudgy.
You say they are thick and fudgy but in other comments you say its cake like. I want thick fudgy brownies not cake like. Which is it ?
Hi Jayne! That does sound confusing for sure. I highly recommend you try this recipe. It’s a brownie recipe that hits everything you love about a brownie – it has deep chocolate flavor, it’s dense and fudge like but also has a velvet crumb to it. I hope this helps!
I just used the last of my granulated sugar on the brownies and don’t want to go to the store. Can I use confectioners sugar for the frosting and how much would I use?
Hi Kimberly – I don’t think that would work. I’m sorry! I’ve never tried it and I would hate for it not to turn out for you.
Oops, I didn’t realize it said not to let the brownies completely cool before frosting. I’m guessing they will still turn out alright, but why is it that it’s better to frost them when still a little warm?
it’s ok! it’s just that when they’re very hot, the frosting will not set as quickly.
Can’t wait to try them. Do you recommend milk or semisweet chocolate for the frosting?
I use semi-sweet but either would work!
My 92 year old mom used to make these exact brownies but could no longer remember the recipe. I am sooo thankful to have found this. I have been craving them!
So glad you found this recipe!
Could you bake in a 9×9 pan? That is usually the size I make brownies in. Or how could I adjust recipe for a 9×9 pan?
Hi Madeline! You will have too much batter for a 9×9 pan. You could either use two 9×9 pans or you can trying halving the recipe. Enjoy!
Thanks!
Is unsweetened cocoa powder ok?
yes!
Jessica, after baking for 30 minutes, should a toothpick come out completely clean? Or is it supposed to be a bit moist still??
it should come out clean! they’re pretty thick so it may have some brownie on it but it shouldn’t be wet.
Hi Jessica, I’m Madelein from South Africa and I just made this recipe. The mouthwatering pictures had me sold! I have to tell you, it’s so refreshing to make a recipe and every step looks exactly like your pictures! The brownies came out perfectly as per your pictures and tasted even better than amazing! This is hands-down the very best frosted brownie I have ever made and tasted. Thank you so much for sharing your Grandma’s recipe… HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Thank you for sharing! I am so glad you enjoy them as much as I do! Happy Holidays to you too!
These were really good. More like a very dense cake but very delicious. Definitely keeping this recipe to make again and again.
thank you!