Frosted Brownies - The Hummingbird Bakery

When you tell someone you like to bake, they'll probably ask you what your favorite thing to make is. At least that's a question I get a lot. Even though I love experimenting with new types of treats, brownies are definitely my go-to dessert. 

Maybe it's because I love adding chocolate chips to recipes and you can always do that in brownies.

Maybe it's because you don't have to roll out dough or stack layers of cake.

Maybe it's because they're just so darn good.

Regardless, I love testing out new brownie recipes, and when I got this cookbook from a family friend who had spent her summer in London (The Hummingbird Bakery is a London-based bakery that specializes in American desserts... Thanks Vita!), I actually think I started drooling just looking at the picture.

What sets these apart is the cream cheese icing.

I'm sorry, I forgot to mention it's chocolate cream cheese icing.

I made a few changes of my own, but I really don't think you can go wrong with these!

Frosted Brownies

Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

INGREDIENTS

5 eggs

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup shelled walnuts, chopped

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped - I used about 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips instead!

frosting:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

5 tablespoons unsalte butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

5 oz. cream cheese, cold

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Put the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk paddle attachments, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour and coca and beat until all ingredients are well mixed.  Pour in the melted butter and mix through. Stir the walnuts and chocolate in by hand until evenly dispersed.

Spoon the mixture into a 13x9-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is firm by the center is still soft. (It's definitely possible that our oven is just weird, but the brownies took a little longer than this to bake. Just make sure to keep an eye on it and use a toothpick to check that they're done!) Let cool completely.
for the frosting: Beat together the confectioners' sugar, butter, and coca in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not over beat, as it can quickly become runny.

When the brownies are cold, spread the frosting over the top.