Last week I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate in the studio launch party for Melissa Rieke Photography and  Melissa & Beth at their fabulous new facility, RStudio.  I provided a smattering of desserts for the event and have been eager to share the recipes with you all.  The Whoopie Pies from my last post were one of the many items on the menu, and I’ll have another three or four coming soon.  You’ll notice that the photos in these upcoming posts are courtesy of the amazing Melissa Rieke herself – she does amazing work.  If you are in the Kansas City area, please do check her out.  After my final party-post, I’ll post a picture of the whole spread for you so you can see how it all came together, so stay tuned!

Since I was doing a lot of baking for the party on a week that coincided with my daughter’s first week of kindergarten *sniff*, I needed to keep things relatively simple.  These brownie bites are really about as simple as it gets.  Don’t want to make them from scratch?  Use a box mix.  (But try this recipe, too – it’s great and easy!!) But honestly, this is really an easy way to dress up a very basic recipe, and they are YUMZO.

I personally wouldn’t recommend using cupcake liners for this recipe but if you are afraid of sticking, go for it.  I just love the way the look without them.  And if you don’t like nuts – omit them!  You can also leave the cocoa out of the frosting recipe for a great vanilla buttercream, and you could really get creative with the garnishes with this one.

For me, the best part of this recipe is that each brownie has the best of both worlds – the crusty edge and the gooey center.  Plus, they are bite size which is not only great for parties and entertaining, but also perfect portion control.  Well, unless you eat more than one.  Which you just might.

Hope you love this! Enjoy!

Recipe for Brownie Bites with Chocolate Buttercream

Yield:  24 bites

Brownie Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 Tablespoons)

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened (but not warm)

3 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar (more if needed for texture)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 cup whipping cream (more if needed for texture)

1/4 cup cocoa powder, best available

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Melt butter and chocolate in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat stirring constantly.
Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, stir in the sugar, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Add the flour and stir until thoroughly combined. Fill muffin cups 1/2 full, using a teaspoon or a mini-scoop.  Sprinkle each cup with a generous sprinkling of walnuts, if desired.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tester comes out mostly clean.  Take care not to overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely on wire rack.  Once cool, use a butter knife to remove from pan and prepare frosting.

Frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip butter until light and fluffy.  Add remaining ingredients and pulse slowly to combine.  Once combined, beat 5-7 minutes.  Add additional whipping cream or confectioners sugar as need until desired frosting texture is met.  You may also add additional cocoa for a stronger chocolate flavor.

Using a piping bag with a star tip, drop a dollop of frosting on each cooled brownie.  Store in an  airtight container for up to 3 days, refrigerating if needed in warmer temperatures.

Source:  Brownies:  Food Network  Frosting:  Lemon Sugar original