These easy frosted brownies are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free option, and topped with a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate fudge layer and brightened with chocolate rainbow sprinkles.
Frosted Brownies
Frosted brownies are a step up from ordinary brownies, and a step I'm happy to make. My brownies are fudgy, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free if you choose a gluten-free flour and have lots of nutrition you don't ordinarily find in a brownie.
Jump to:
The brownie is so chocolatey in flavor, you won't believe that first bit.
And then there is the frosted top, a velvety, melt-in-your-mouth layer of coconut cream and dark chocolate.
The recipe is fairly easy, just about one bowl, and only require baking for 25 minutes and bit of chilling.
Before we dive into the recipe, I'd like to invite you to sign up for my free chocolate course. Five lessons hit your inbox with detail on how to create your own simple healthy chocolate desserts.
Okay, so back to this recipe...
Are you ready to take your brownies up a notch?
How to Make Frosted Brownies
Start with the brownies. Melt up butter and unsweetened chocolate in the microwave, then add in all other ingredients.
Mix in other ingredients, bake and cool. The frosting is even easier. Just microwave the coconut milk and chocolate chips together, and pour this delicious dream straight onto the cooled brownies.
A chilling in the refrigerator will allow you to slice cleanly.
Tips to Make Frosted Brownies
1. Be sure your can of coconut milk is at room temperature. And to further blend the solids within, I sometimes heat the milk quickly in a pot and stirring to smooth it out before making the brownies, to allow it time to cool before I need to make the frosting.
2. Also note that you need two types of chocolate for this recipe: unsweetened baking chocolate and semi sweet chocolate chips for both the brownies and the frosting.
3. Chill the frosted brownies about 30 minutes in the refrigerator to allow a clean slice with a knife. After that, I like to keep them refrigerated so they last longer, about two weeks.
How Are These Frosted Brownies Healthy?
Well they still have flour and sugar so they are not a vitamin. However, they use flax seeds and coconut milk and have lots of cacao. Let me explain:
1. Flax seeds are high in fiber so great for digestion, and studies show they have a positive impact on blood cholesterol.
2. Coconut milk is so nutritious, including essential nutrients that are hard to find in other foods including manganese and copper. And although coconut milk is fairly high in fat, the fat is considered "good" fat, being mostly medium-chain triglycerides which are thought to promote weight loss ironically, and improve gut environment.
3. And then there is the dark chocolate. The unsweetened chocolate in the brownie has 100% cacao, and the semi-sweet chips in the frosting have 70% cacao. High cacao levels are associated with many healthy benefits, including immunity boosts from antioxidants, lower blood pressure, improve sleep and digestion from magnesium, and more.
So, are these brownies healthy? Well, I'd say these are the brownies you want to be passing around to your loved ones.
Do Frosted Brownies Need to Be Refrigerated?
Yes because of the frosted top. The refrigeration keeps the top solid and fresh. And the brownies taste better chilled in my opinion. However, if you don't frost these brownies, they will be fine, covered at room temperature for about 3 days.
What Do You Put On Top of Brownies
I make this luscious frosting, but you don't have to. The brownies are awesome alone, or topped with ice cream or even yogurt!
How Long Should I Wait to Frost Brownies
Definitely wait until the baked brownies are cool. For me that was about 30 minutes.
Why Did My Brownies Turn Out Dry?
It's probable that you measured the flour so you added more than the recipe called for. To avoid dry brownies or any baked goods really be sure you are measuring flour correctly.
You don't want to dip your measuring cup in the flour bag, and scoop - that will pack the flour so there will be too much even though it looks measured correctly. I have on occasion used a scale but I find that most people don't have a scale in the kitchen, so I recommend a useful trick to get the flour right.
1. Take a fork and fluff the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to lightly fill your measuring cups with the measurements according to the recipe.
2. Overfill ever so little, and tap the side of the measuring cup over the flour bag to get the top to even off and the excess spill back into the bag, or collect it on a dish.
This is a method that will help you avoid adding too much flour to a recipe and drying it out.
So are you ready to take your brownies up a notch? Add frosting!
I invite you to keep up with me on: Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Food Gawker | Twitter
Don't miss a thing, subscribe here to get recipes delivered to your inbox!
If you try my recipes, please leave a comment and rating below and tag me on your Instagram or Facebook post with @greensmoothiegourmet and #greensmoothiegourmet so I can see and share your remakes!!
Try More Vegan Brownies Here
Sweet Potato Brownies
Cauliflower Brownies
No Bake Fudge Brownies
Cake Like Brownies
Pumpkin Brownies
Brownie Bites
Mocha Brownies
📖 Recipe
Frosted Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- ½ cup butter I used Earthbalance vegan butter)
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate 100% cacao
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- ½ cup coconut palm sugar
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon of flaxseed mixed with 5 tablespoon water - mimics eggs)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour (fluffy it with a fork and carefully spoon this amount into a ⅔ cup measuring cup; use gluten-free all purpose by Bob's Red Mill if you want it to be GF)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
Frosting
- 2 ½ cups dark chocolate
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk (from a can, not refrigerated, shaken)
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Very lightly grease the parchment paper with coconut oil.
- Make the 2 flax eggs by mixing 5 tablespoon of water with 2 tablespoon of ground flax seeds and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Make brownies
- Add both the unsweetened chocolate and butter to a microwave-safe mixing bowl or a larger pyrex measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds. Microwave for an additional 15 seconds if need be.
- Add in the sugars, and mix until dissolved.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla, and mix until dissolved.
- Add in the flour baking powder and salt, and mix until combined.
- Fold in the semi sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into a loaf pan and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely before frosting.
Make Frosting
- Add the chocolate chips to a pyrex measuring cup.
- Warm the coconut milk in the microwave for 60 seconds. Pour the milk over the chocolate chips and stir until all are melted. If need be, microwave the mixture again for 30 seconds. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour over cooled and baked brownie layer.
- Freeze for 1 hour (or more) before slicing into 8 squares.
- Store in the refrigerator for two weeks. Or freeze indefinitely.
Brooklyn
Hello ^_^
May I use a square baking pan instead of a loaf pan? Would 8x8 or 6x6 be a good size?
Thank you very much in advance..
Dee Dine
Hi! The 6x6 pan would probably be best, but the 8x8 would be okay if you doubled the recipe. Dee xx
petter34
THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE. The frosting is UNBELIEVABLWE.
Dee Dine
You are welcome!
barbs2055
I made these for my son. He's 43, lol, and loves cosmic little debbies. But these are soooo much healthier. Thank you for your healthy copycats. Love your twix.
Dee Dine
Thank you for your feedback. So happy you love the copycats!
Emma
I used an unsweetened baking chocolate bar, is that what you meant? This is literally the most delicious brownie I have ever tasted. And I didn't even frost it!
Dee Dine
Yes, I used a baking bar but any unsweetened chocolate bar is fine. Sometimes they are labeled as 100% cacao. I am so happy you loved the brownie. I was happy it turned out so delicious!