While a brownie from a box is not necessarily a bad thing, it really can’t compare to a brownie that has been made from scratch.  These Ultimate Ganache Frosted Fudgy Brownies check all the right boxes for me.  They have a fudgy, chewy texture, they are not overly sweet in and of themselves, but then the thin chocolaty ganache glaze poured over the top takes them to the highest level of brownie perfection. 

We call these “Mike’s Brownies” at my house because when we took them to my sisters house my hubby carried them in and told all the kids, “hey look, I made you brownies,” so it’s just become a joke that he is the one that makes these.  (The man basically only makes pancakes or taco meat.)

These brownies are made with butter, cocoa powder and sugar rather than melted chocolate which means they aren’t sickly sweet.  They are pure rich decadence and you are sure to be the hit of any party walking in with these babies.  Try them with a drizzle of heavy cream over the top or with a scoop of your favorite ice cream!

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups butter
• 2-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional, but delicious)

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350.  Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt together the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  (I let the butter almost melt then add the sugar, cocoa and salt and continue to stir until everything is just melted together… don’t let it boil.)
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to allow it to cool slightly until it is JUST warm.  
4. Once your mixture has cooled a bit, beat in your eggs. (If you add these before it is cool enough you will scramble the eggs.)  Beat vigorously by hand for 1-2 minutes, or at least 60 strokes.  
5. Stir in your vanilla and flour and mix until combined.  
6. Add in your chopped pecans, (or don’t if you aren’t a brownie with nuts person.)
7. Scrape the mixture in to your prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it.  
8. Let your brownies cool in the pan on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes.
9. For the glaze:  In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Stir in the milk and the cocoa powder until completely melted and combined.  Stir in the powdered sugar and beat with a whisk over low heat until it’s completely dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. 
10. Pour a good amount of glaze over the top of the brownies.  (You won’t need all of it, so save the remaining glaze in a small container for people to add to their brownie OR serve a la mode with a spoonful of the glaze over the top of the ice cream.