Frosted Brownie Bites

These tiny little brownies are packed with fudgy, chocolate flavor and topped with a sweet buttercream frosting on top, perfect for parties or a dessert spread.

These 2-bite brownies make a perfect treat or for bringing in to school or work for a sweet surprise. You can also try adding a little flavored extract to my basic chocolate and vanilla buttercream recipe below, for a fun flavor variation, like chocolate orange, mint, coconut or raspberry.

These fudgy little bites come together in just one pot, so clean-up is easy and making them couldn't be more simple.

Bake and slice into squares for the cutest little bite of pure fudgy decadence.

I like to put the brownie bites in mini cupcake liners to make it easy for guests to grab when I serve these at a party, then I just add the frosting on once the are already in place. Plate the extras plain with a toothpick for serving.

I use a small french tip, like the Wilton 4B to pipe a little star dollop on top. Simple, easy and delicious.

Frosted Brownie Bites

Yield: 49 brownie bites

Ingredients

Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick/4oz.) butter, melted (browned for maximum flavor)
3/4 cup (150g) granulated white sugar
1/4 cup (48g) packed brown sugar
6oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (1 cup chocolate chips)
2 tablespoons (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (90g) flour, weighed or spooned and leveled
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting

1/2 cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-4 tablespoons cream, half and half or milk
1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. To brown the butter, continue to cook, stirring constantly, until brown specks start to appear at the bottom of the pan and butter has turned a light amber color, giving off a nutty aroma (about 5-7 minutes).

Reduce heat to low and add the sugars, chocolate, and cocoa, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Remove from heat and stir for about a minute to cool mixture. Mix in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir vigorously for about 1-2 minutes until batter becomes thick, smooth and shiny. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt, until just incorporated, followed by mix-ins, if desired. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes. An inserted toothpick will come out with moist crumbs sticking to it. Do not over bake. Cool brownies completely in the pan on a cooling rack before cutting.

To make the frosting, with an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth. On low speed, beat in vanilla and salt. Slowly add powdered sugar, about half cup at a time, followed by 2-3 tablespoons of cream. Beat on medium speed until light and creamy. Scoop out half of the frosting and set aside. Beat in the cocoa powder and 1 tablespoons cream to the remaining frosting until smooth and fluffy.

Cut brownies into 6 vertical and 6 horizontal lines, creating bite-sized squares using a sharp knife (freeze brownies for easy, crumb-free slices). Spread or pipe half of the brownie bites with your vanilla frosting and the other half with chocolate. Add festive sprinkles on top if desired.