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)
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Frosting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons milk (use at least 2% milk fat)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 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.
Yasmin
Hi
Are you able to bake and then freeze these?
Jessica Erin
yes!
Struitt
Would it be okay to use salted butter instead of unsalted butter? If so, should I not add the salt? Thanks!
Jessica Erin
yes it’s fine! Do not add any extra salt then!
Judith
Just to clarify, 3 sticks go in the batter and then you need almost a whole additional stick of butter for the frosting?
Jessica Erin
yes. 🙂
Cindee Chevalier
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.
Jessica Erin
you’re welcome!
Sindy
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?
Jessica Erin
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.
Arlene
Would a creamy peanut butter frosting work with these brownies?
Jessica Erin
sure!
Haley
My husband loves brownies with peanut butter chips. Do you think adding those to the batter would turn out?
Jessica Erin
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. 🙂
Katee
Would these be good if I made them two weeks ahead and froze them?
Jessica Erin
yes!
Ginny
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!
Jessica Erin
Thank you so much!
ziera fauzi
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 ?
Jessica Erin
Hi! According to what I looked up on google it’s 339 grams. Hope that helps!
ziera fauzi
okey…thank you..