Chocolate Iced Fudge Brownies

We were invited over to a friends house for a dinner party last night, and I volunteered to bring dessert, of course.

After getting home from a long week of work, the last thing I wanted to do was go to the store, so I picked something that we already had all the ingredients for, Chocolate Iced Fudge Brownies.  Brownies are also quick and easy to make.  You just need a bowl and wooden spoon, no need to get the stand mixer down from above the cupboards!

Brownie Ingredients:

4 (4oz) squares of unsweetened chocolate

2 cubes of butter

2 cups of sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Icing Ingredients:

1 (4oz) square of unsweetened chocolate

2 teaspoons of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

splash of milk

powdered sugar

I made a 1/2 recipe, because there were only 6 of us and I didn't want to have too many leftovers in the house.

First preheat the oven to 375 and grease and flour a 9x13 (for a full recipe) pan.  I used an 8x8 for the half recipe.

Next, melt the butter and chocolate in a sauce pan over low heat or double boiler

After it's completely melted, move off the heat, transfer to your mixing bowl and let it cool for a minute.

Then add in the sugar and a pinch of salt and stir together

Here is the trick with brownies - don't beat the dough!  If you beat too much, your brownies will be dry.  So, add the eggs, one at a time and stir only until mixed.

Then add the flour stirring only until mixed

Finally mix in the vanilla and chopped walnuts

Transfer the batter to the floured pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

For the icing, you can use the same saucepan or double boiler to melt 1 square of chocolate and 2 teaspoons of butter.

Once melted, add the vanilla and milk and stir together.  Then add the powdered sugar and mix until the consistancy is thick and it tastes sweet.  

You can continue to add milk or water if you need to thin it out a bit.

When the brownies come out, let them cool, then frost.  I forgot to take a photo after I frosted.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!