Super Quick Thick Brownie Frosting

Super quick Brownie Frosting comes together in less than five minutes with only four ingredients. It is super thick, and the perfect frosting for brownies!

I love a good homemade brownie recipe - they are rich, fudgy, and super easy to make. I am married to someone who thinks that adding a simple chocolate icing onto basically anything will make it better - especially to my fudgy brownies.

In our house, we call this brownie frosting 'shitty chocolate icing' - as in, the super quick, thick, chocolate icing that our Mums used to make as kids.

It's just the best - comes together in five minutes, and goes well on everything. Rich has been asking me to put in on the blog for years now, and now I have finally found an appropriate name for it, here we are - the perfect chocolate frosting for brownies.

This easy brownie icing is everything you need for that perfect, thick, crusty icing that brings back an instant hit of nostalgia. It's not super smooth - it sets with a delicate crust, and is just the best thing ever.

I love using this recipe to make frosted brownies - I also use a slightly thinner version on my cosmic brownie recipe, but it is not just an icing for brownies - you could also use it to finish off my easy banana bread, or as a simple finish to my chocolate chip cookie bars. It would also work great as an alternative frosting on my Oreo Brownies.

Ingredients in Brownie Frosting

The ingredients list for this Brownie Frosting is super simple - it comes together all in one bowl, and is ready to use immediately.

• Powdered sugar - The base of this brownie frosting recipe. Make sure that it is sifted to remove any lumps.
• Cocoa powder - I use dutch process cocoa powder to make my frosting for brownies, but you can use regular unsweetened cocoa powder too if you like. Make sure it is also well sifted.
• Butter - If you use salted butter, skip the salt in the recipe, otherwise add in a teeny pinch of salt to help bring out the chocolate flavor.
• Boiling water. This brings the brownie frosting together and helps to melt the butter, giving a smooth texture, and making it super easy to spread on your brownies.

How to make the best frosting for brownies

This brownie frosting recipe is super quick and needs to be used immediately as it is a crusting frosting, so make it once your chocolate brownies are either at room temperature or chilled, depending on how you like to serve them.

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the boiling water in a heat safe bowl. Because we are using grams to make this recipe, you can place the bowl with the ingredients in it directly onto the scale and measure the boiling water straight into the bowl.
2. Add the boiling water, and mix to combine with a spatula - it may look like there is not enough water, but just be patient and keep mixing. It will come together.
3. Make sure you have mixed until the frosting is homogenous and all the pieces of butter have melted - switch to a whisk if needed to get any lumps out.
4. There you have it - the perfect frosting for brownies! Use immediately on your cooled or chilled brownie.

How to get clean slices on a brownie

Here are a few top tips to make sure you get a perfect cut on your brownie:

• Make sure the brownies are properly chilled. I like to make sure that both the brownie and the chocolate frosting are set. If you don't like cold brownies, you can leave them out after you cut them and they will come back to room temperature.
• Use a super sharp knife. This is important for getting a clean cut on anything.
• Cut in one motion - I use a knife with a large blade and push down evenly rather than levering the knife down.
• Wipe the blade between cuts. I don't use a warmed blade, but if needed I do rinse it and dry well between cuts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page

How do you store brownie frosting?

This brownie frosting needs to be used straight away as it will crust up (which is delicious btw), so use it immediately then store the brownies in the fridge or at room temperature in an airtight container depending on your brownie preference. I am team cold brownies, you do you here.

How long does brownie frosting take to set?

Either you can set this brownie frosting at room temperature, or you can pop it in the fridge. It will get a crust on it quite quickly, but will take 30 minutes or so to set in the fridge, and a little longer at room temperature.

For more brownie recipes, check out:

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