Easy Frosted Valentine's Brownies Recipe

20140213-283341-easy-frosted-valentines-brownies.jpg
Photograph: Alexandra Penfold

It's Valentine's Day! Still looking for sweets for your sweet? These super easy frosted brownies are fun to make and more fun to eat. Take your favorite brownies, cut out heart shapes, frost with a simple tinted buttercream, and enjoy.

And the best part? For edge lovers like me, there's no waste, only tasty extra edge nibbles for snacking. Or if you want to win extra points with your sweetie, top the scraps with scoops of ice cream and your favorite sundae toppings to make a second dessert course.

Notes: You can use your favorite from scratch recipe, like these or these. Or use a mix, I won't tell!

To make the heart shape I used an approximately 2 3/4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter and I got 8 heart-shaped brownies out of a 11- x 7- inch pan. You may get more or less depending on the size of your cookie cutter and pan (8- x 8- and 9- x 13- are typical pan sizes for brownies).

For tinting the frosting I prefer gel food coloring, but note that a little goes a long way. Frost the brownies from lightest to darkest, first working with the white frosting then adding drops of color and frosting brownies in progressively darker shades.

Recipe Details

Easy Frosted Valentine's Brownies Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (8- x 8- inch) pan recipe of brownies (see note)

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar

  • Red food coloring, optional

  • Sprinkles to decorate, optional

Directions

  1. Prepare your favorite brownie recipe (see note). Once the brownies have cooled completely, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out brownie hearts.

  2. Place butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter on medium until soft and workable. Add confectioners sugar and beat until fully combined and smooth. Frost the brownies from lightest to darkest, first working with the white frosting then adding drops of food coloring, if desired, and frosting brownies in progressively darker shades.Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Special equipment

8- x 8- or 9- x 13- inch pan

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
352 Calories
22g Fat
39g Carbs
4g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 352
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 7g 37%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 194mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 14%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 34mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 101mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)