Frosted Gingerbread Brownies
These brownies were made with the holidays in mind, blending rich fudgy chocolate with gingerbread spice in the best way possible. If you love a deeply fudgy brownie but also cannot resist classic Christmas flavors, this recipe brings both together with a thick layer of fluffy gingerbread frosting on top. It took a few tweaks to perfect the ultra-fudgy brownies, but the gingerbread frosting surprisingly pairs amazingly well with them! The result is a festive, better-than-bakery dessert that is perfect for holiday baking, treat boxes, or Christmas gatherings!
Secret to a Crackly Top and a Fudgy Brownie
The secret to a thin, crackly top on a brownie isn’t a special ingredient. The key is thoroughly beating the eggs and sugar before the rest of the ingredients are incorporated. The sugar dissolves into the eggs and helps the mixture incorporate just enough air to create that perfect crust on top. You’ll know it’s ready when the color changes from a deep golden yellow to a lighter, yellowish white.
Another tip to keep just the right amount of air in your brownies is to ditch the whisk once you get to the dry ingredients and switch to a spatula instead. Gently folding everything together helps avoid adding too much air, which is the fastest way to end up with cakey brownies. This fudgy texture also gives the brownies the perfect base for the gingerbread frosting, so the spiced topping sits nicely on top without sinking in and keeps an even layer of brownie and frosting throughout. (PSA: if cakey brownies are your thing, I respect it, but these brownies were made for the fudgy lovers!)
5 Other Ways to Top These Brownies
Try Oreo Frosted Brownies!
Try Classic Fudge Brownies!
Try S’more Frosted Brownies!
Try Hot Cocoa Frosted Brownies!
Try Peppermint Frosted Brownies!
Why I Measure in Grams (and You Might Want To, Too)
If you’ve ever made the same recipe twice and gotten two totally different results, the measuring method is often the reason.
Professional bakeries almost always measure by weight, not volume. Measuring cups leave room for inconsistency—especially with ingredients that pack differently depending on how you scoop or pour them. A scale removes all of that guesswork.
One of the biggest offenders is sugar. Different sugars (and even the same sugar measured by different people) can vary wildly in volume, but 100 grams is always 100 grams. Measuring by weight gives you repeatable, bakery-consistent results and cuts down on extra dishes at the same time.
A food scale is one of the best (and most affordable) investments you can make for your kitchen if you love baking and want your recipes to turn out exactly the same every time.
Ingredients To Prepare
Before baking, take a few minutes to gather the ingredients below and to ensure that they are rich, fudgy, and perfectly chocolatey!
Once you have all of the ingredients ready to go, you’re officially set up for brownie success. I always recommend measuring everything out ahead of time so the process is smoother and you can focus on making the fudgiest brownies possible!
Gingerbread Frosted Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter unsalted or salted
- 1.5 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- pinch of salt
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg optional
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves optional
Method
- Preheat oven to convection 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium sized bowl, add your room-temperature butter and granulated sugar and mix them together.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks to the bowl and mix with a whisk until the mixture turns an off-white color (2-3 minutes, gives brownie the crackly top!)
- Stir the vegetable oil and vanilla into your mixture.
- Lastly, stir in the dry ingredients — cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking soda.
- Line an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper, and then pour brownie batter evenly into the pan.
- Put pan in the oven for 28-32 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let your brownies cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before putting in the fridge to fully chill for about 15 minutes. You can skip this step, although it helps my brownies not get crumbly when I cut them!
- While brownies are chilling, in a separate bowl, add your room temperature butter and beat until mixture turns off-white. Then add your powdered sugar until fully incorporated and mixture is slightly thick. Next, add your heavy cream, molasses, and vanilla extract.
- Lastly, mix in all of your spices — cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, and a pinch of salt!
- Once brownies are fully chilled, remove them from the fridge, and evenly spread the gingerbread frosting over the brownies.
- Cut into 16 squares (4×4) and enjoy! These can be eaten fresh or stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days!
Nutrition
Private Notes
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