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Retro-style Old Fashioned Iced Fudge Brownies. Taking it back to grade school today with these DELICIOUS classic fudge brownies. Picture a fudgy, buttery, milk chocolate brownie base, layered with the most delectable, roll your eyes back good, chocolate icing. These brownies are rich, sweet, and fudgy. Added bonus…these bars require only pantry staple ingredients and take almost no effort to make. They’re sweet, salty, heavy on the chocolate, and every last bite is truly delicious. The perfect treat to enjoy as an afternoon/after-school snack. And equally great for any upcoming fall gatherings…including game days. Basically, they’re pretty perfect for just about everything.
Every single year around this time, I fall back on “old school” style desserts. The ones that our moms or grandmas would make…and we’d all happily devour. Something about September, the start of school, and fall being only weeks away, always make me crave old-fashioned, vintage-style desserts.
Granted, brownies don’t ever really go out of style per se, but these feel like a classic, retro brownie. Like the ones sold at bake sales, with the most delicious chocolate icing, and sprinkles on top.
I don’t say things are perfect almost ever, but these really are pretty perfect. Every single bite just leaves you wanting another.
And, come on, they’re pretty fun too!
So the inspiration?
Well like I said, it was really just the time of year. With school starting back up again and a coolness brewing in the air, I wanted to share a dessert that would be great for packing up in lunch boxes, or enjoyed as an after-school treat.
Or of course, a dessert that could be sold at all the upcoming school bake sales.
Diving into the details – lets start with the brownie
The brownie is, of course, the best part. While maybe not the best part, since it’s really made better with the frosting. But my point is that even without the frosting the brownie is so good.
It’s my crinkle top brownie recipe, just adjusted to be a little less sweet since we’re adding icing.
The key is to use melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and a lot of whisked eggs.
The extra chocolate is obvious, but the whisked eggs? You need those to create a crinkly top with a fudgy, rich chocolate brownie underneath. Whisking the eggs prior to mixing creates air within the eggs. This helps to create that delicious crinkly top.
The batter comes together quickly, just melt the chocolate and butter together. Add the sugar, coffee, and vanilla, then stir in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
Nothing fancy at all, but I promise you, this batter yields the best brownies.
Oh, and don’t forget to stir in a handful of chocolate chips at the ends. We love a few chocolate chips swirled throughout our brownies.
Onto the icing…the only way to make brownies better
Normally, I don’t love an overly sugary icing, but man oh man, I love this icing so much. It really does complete these brownies and gives them an “old-fashioned” vintage vibe.
The icing needs to be thick and fudgy, with a crackly top. Think of a just set top that has glazed over and stiffened, but then underneath is fudgy, loose frosting.
Very old school, very vintage…that’s what I was going for.
The ingredients are simple: butter, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and milk.
The trick is to whisk in some almost hot milk. The heat from the milk warms the butter and turns the cocoa powder into a rich creamy chocolate.
Once the brownies are cooled, simply spread the icing over top. And that’s it…easy!
If you’d like to decorate with sprinkles, now’s the time. Once the frosting sets, it becomes hard on top and the sprinkles will not stick.
If you’re into sprinkles you can have a lot of fun with all the different types. Target has orange and black, monster mash, and graveyard ghouls that are super cute!
When you cut into the bars, the icing will crack into the fudginess underneath. It’s almost magical, and trust me, it’s going to get you excited. One bite is all you need to become addicted…but in a good way. Because nothing beats a really great brownie!
Looking for other back-to-school desserts? Here are a few ideas:
Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Salted Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Snickers Bars
Lastly, if you make these Old Fashioned Iced Fudge Brownies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Old Fashioned Iced Fudge Brownies
Servings: 22 brownies
Calories Per Serving: 342 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup ) salted butter
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Chocolate Icing
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup warmed milk
- sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper.2. In the microwave, melt together the butter and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (stir at 30 second intervals) until melted and smooth. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and instant coffee. 3. In a small bowl whisk the eggs for 1 minute until bubbly on top. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mix. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Stir until just combined. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the brownies are just set. Let cool.4. Meanwhile, make the icing. Add the butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and 1/4 cup warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth, adding additional warm milk until the frosting becomes thicker, but still drizzly. Taste, adding more sugar if needed. Spread the icing over the bars. Let set 10 minutes, then decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Let set another hour or until dry. Slice, snack, and enjoy!
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour.
Storing: These bars keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
To cool the bars quickly for icing: place in freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and frost.
To Bring Eggs to Room Temperature: place the eggs in a bowl and fill with warm water. Let sit 5 minutes.
For extra thick brownies: bake in a 9×9 inch square baking dish for 30-35 minutes.
Be warned! Feel like I need to post a caution to all you would-be-brownie-bakers out there— these are the richest most delicious chocolate laden thing that will ever grace your kitchen counter. If you’re out of milk, do not bake this. If you’re on a diet, well screw the diet. I’ve tried many many scratch brownies and this is the first one that makes me ignore the box of Ghirardelli in the back of my pantry. Huzzah brownies!
(I halved and made in a 9×5.5 took few min under the prescribed time.)
Hey Hannah,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have the best day:) xTieghan
LOVED, LOVED the chocolate taste! I made these today for Labor Day for a special dessert, glad I did! The recipe was real easy to follow, make sure to give yourself time to let the brownies cool off before frosting. Yum can’t wait to share these with my Mom the brownie lover in our family!!
Hey Deborah,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
The best brownies!! So easy even for my kids to make and follow along with her videos. Thank you!
Hey Rachael,
Happy Labor Day!?? Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hi! I accidentally melted all two ups of choc chips and didn’t realize til my batter was combined. Yikes! Do you think it will be ok, or should I add more flour as well?
Hey Jen,
Sorry, you may need to add more flour! Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
I also did this and it made the brownies very soft! They were a bit hard to cut. But let’s be honest-who cares if they’re gooey brownies. They didn’t seem like the underbaked gooey just really soft. I would NOT care at all but I’m taking them to my daughters school pot luck tonight and I have a feeling they might be messy haha. Whoops.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Kerri!
What can the instant coffee be replaced without can it be skipped?
Hey Stacey,
You could also use espresso powder. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
What if you don’t have instant coffee?
Hey Marni,
You can skip the instant coffee. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
These are perfect brownies – fudge, chocolatey goodness! I made mine in a 9×9 pan, baked a little longer, and they turned out amazing. These are exactly like a brownie my mom used to make from a 1950’s cookbook – so definitely old fashioned!!
I used unsalted butter because that’s all I had. I didn’t add salt to the batter but added a pinch to the icing. The icing recipe makes a lot if you’re making a 9×9 pan like I did, but no complaints there! I followed the initial instructions and didn’t need to add more sugar or milk.
Hey Elle,
Happy Labor Day!?? Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
These are the absolute BEST BROWNIES I have ever made! And, I have been baking for 50 years now. You will not go wrong and they come together so simply. I topped mine with chopped walnuts, but you can do whatever feels like fun with your recipe.
Hey Lucy,
Happy Labor Day!?? Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Are these fudgey or cakey?
Very fudgey
Hey Katie,
These are on the fudgy side. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made these after seeing the video. They are beyond delicious & decadent! ? Super easy to put together. Definitely do not skip the frosting, pulls the whole brownie together! Topped mine with sprinkles?
Hey Amy,
Happy Labor Day!?? Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I had to make these right away. The PERFECT weekend treat! I cut the recipe in half & baked in 9×9 pan. These are to die for! Perfect for the chocoholic ?
Hey Kim,
Happy Labor Day!?? Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! You used a square pan in your story but the recipe says 9×13. I was wondering if that’s why this recipe has 4 eggs instead of 2? Does it make a difference which pan you use? Thank you!!
Hey Alexis,
I cut the recipe in half on IG, we have too many brownies around here:) You can follow this recipe as is. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made these brownies tonight exactly as the recipe says! So delicious and came together so easily! My husband is a brownie snob and he more than approved!
Hey Marisa,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
These brownies are the bomb!! So delicious. Definitely, don’t skip the frosting. I will be making these again many times in the foreseeable future.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey John,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Very quickly came together and I had all of the ingredients on hand! I baked for 26 min and they came out pretty dry and cakey. I really wanted to love this recipe! I might try again with 1 fewer egg and a little oil or Greek yogurt added.
Hey Christy,
So sorry to hear this, what size baking dish did you use? Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Hi I’m making these tomorrow but question… Recipe says baking powder but your blog says baking soda, which should I use? Thx!
Hey Liza,
The recipe calls for baking powder, so you will want to use that. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Your Instagram story called for only two eggs. This recipe says four. I used four and my brownies do not look like yours ??♀️
Hey Deborah,
On my IG story, I just did half of the recipe, 4 eggs is the correct amount to use. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
On Instagram she made an 8×8, didn’t she?