Grandma’s Brownies
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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 indulgent cake fudge brownies you will ever eat with a warm fudge frosting that you literally can sink your teeth into. 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! Although these are my favorite brownies on the blog, I do offer other wonderful brownie recipes like my Peppermint Brownies with Fudge Ganache, Best Fudge Brownies and Caramel Brownies!
Grandma's Brownies
This brownie recipe is unlike any other brownie out there. This indulgent dessert features a rich, thick cake fudge brownie as its base and is topped with the most delicious fudge frosting creating the most decadent melt-in-your-mouth brownie ever!
Ingredients
Brownies
- 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 unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons milk (use at least 2% milk fat)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick spray. You can also line the pan with parchment paper, making sure the sides hang over the edge of the pan. You can then remove the brownies using the parchment paper to make it easier for cutting.
- Using a stand-alone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (hand-held mixer works, too) cream together butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Mix the dry ingredients into a bowl: cocoa powder, flour and salt.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk 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 20-30 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-high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat, whisk in salt and 1 cup milk chocolate chips. Whisk vigorously until smooth then immediately pour onto warm brownies spreading before it starts to set - an offset spatula works well for this. The frosting starts to harden quickly so work fast! Let brownies set for at least an one hour before cutting into them.
Notes
You can bake these in an 11×17 pan as well just bake for 25-30 minutes. The brownies won’t be as thick. I usually cut these small because they are very thick and a little goes a long way. Most people seem to enjoy these in “bite size” portions which is why it can make up to 40 small brownies.
Brownies can last 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Brownies can last up to week in the refrigerator
Brownies can last up to 3 months in the freezer, but their quality and taste will decline if frozen for too long.
Have you ever tried these with another sort of frosting like cream cheese or marshmallow buttercream? I am wanting to make a chocolate dessert but with a white frosting and these sound delicious!
HI Audra!
They are very good! I have not tried them with another frosting, but either of those would be delicious! The brownie texture is between a fudge brownie and a cake brownie so it’s pretty versatile when it comes to frosting.
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!
I don’t see where you add the chocolate chips listed for the brownie batter. Was I supposed to melt them and add them or are they just in the frosting? You have them listed in both
Hi Jessie! Just use chocolate chips in the frosting. Sorry about that! I updated the recipe. Thank you! Enjoy!
Whew! I took a chance and just used them in the frosting. They were a hit and my Grandsons new favorite. Thank you 😊
Wonderful!! So sorry about that. I don’t think adding them to the batter would’ve have done anything other than added additional chocolate and texture. 🙂
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!