Today, I’ve got a fun, kid-loving twist on a fudgy chocolate brownie. My frosted sprinkle brownies are both fudgy and chewy with that perfect brownie texture. Add sprinkles on top of the batter and frosting for extra colour and fun.
My kids, like I’m sure most kids, are obsessed with anything sprinkles and often request various sprinkle desserts. Sprinkle brownies are one of their most requested and I actually just made a batch of these for my daughter’s birthday at daycare. Brownies are one of my go to’s for school and daycare as they’re typically easy to make nut free.
If you enjoy chocolate and colour, these are the perfect dessert. They’re also great for festivities as you can just use any themed sprinkle and voila, you’ve got a festive dessert that’s both delicious and quick to make!
If you’re like me and you love brownies, check out some of my others like my biscoff brownies which have big puddles of gooey cookie butter on top or my fudgy chocolate brownies for the best fudgy texture.
Does it Matter What Kind of Sprinkles?
Nope, use whatever you have on hand or whatever works for the holiday or theme you’re going for.
If you want a Halloween specific brownie, you can also try my mummy brownies or for Easter, my fudgy mini egg brownies.
Can I Skip the Frosting?
Absolutely, we add sprinkles on top of the batter before baking as well but they won’t be quite as prominent, like in the picture below. It depends on my mood if I want frosting on my brownies but I always put it on these as I like the look and it pairs really well with the brownie texture.
The Crackly Brownie Top
Through research and many trials of different brownie recipe testing, including these sprinkle brownies, I have discovered the easiest way to get a shiny crackly top.
The shiny, crackly top had always alluded me every time I made brownies and I was getting really frustrated. So, I decided to research different people’s ideas on how to always get that traditional brownie top and try different ways for myself.
The two keys I have found is ensuring your eggs and sugar are well combined, which is why I always whisk mine together vigorously. The second is adding the warmed butter, and chocolate if the recipe calls for it, to the egg mixture. Based off my knowledge and research, this helps basically create a meringue like top by allowing the sugar to fully melt and blend into the eggs. And VOILA! A beautiful, traditional brownie top every time!
How Many Brownies Will These Make?
This recipe makes 9 large, G12 medium or 16 small brownies depending on how you cut them. I like cutting them in 16’s or 12’s as these are decadent and rich!
Glass vs. Metal Pans
While I prefer the look of glass, it’s really not ideal for baking brownies. Glass takes much longer to heat which can leave you with an overbaked brownie making it more cakey than fudgy. Metal pans heat much more evenly and will give you the perfect texture.
Are These Sprinkle Brownies Gluten Free?
No and I’m not sure if they’d turn out with the same texture with a 1 to 1 flour. If you try let me know!
As a side note, if making anything gluten free for someone with an allergy, ensure you thoroughly wash any equipment, jars or utensils. Any contact with flour may trigger an allergy. I like to say any baking I do in my own home is gluten friendly as I am using flour often and cannot guarantee there’s been no cross contamination.
For a gluten free brownie recipe, try my fudgy coconut flour brownies which are just as decadent as any other brownie or for a healthier option, try my healthy chocolate banana brownies which are gluten free due to using almond flour.
How to Properly Measure Flour
So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!
If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.
1. Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.
2. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
3. Level the excess flour off using a butter knife. (With the back of the knife level to the top of the measuring cup, run it over top, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.)
4. Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.
Baking Tips
- For best results, use room temperature ingredients! They will mix together much easier creating a smoother, more well incorporated batter.
- I recommend using a metal pan when baking brownies. Glass and ceramic take much longer to heat up which leads to the edges overbaking while the centre will be underbaked. This can also lead to your brownies sinking in the middle.
- Don’t overmix your brownie batter! Overmixing leads to a denser, less fudgy brownie as you’ll start developing the gluten. Using a spatula, fold the dry and wet mixtures together until just combined.
- No matter what recipe you use for the brownies, for fudgy brownies, they’re generally done when a toothpick inserted 2/3 of the way in from the edge of the pan comes out with moist crumbs. This will ensure good fudgy brownies.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Sprinkle Bakes
Today’s song is one I recently rediscovered that I used to listen to all the time. Here’s Two Fingers by Jake Bugg. Happy baking!! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Frosted Sprinkle Brownies
Ingredients
- 115g/4oz semi sweet or dark chocolate
- 7 tbsp (98g) unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp (44g) canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (80g) all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground espresso (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (10g) sprinkles
Frosting
- 3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (21g) cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 -2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (105g) icing sugar
- 2 tbsp (20g) sprinkles
Instructions
- Line or spray an 8×8 pan. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate, butter and oil. Heat in the microwave in 30 second increments until fully melted, stirring in between each time. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- While the chocolate mixture warms, add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whisk at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until the batter is pale and ribbony.
- Gently whisk in the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated. Then add in the flour, cocoa powder, espresso if using and salt. Using a spatula, gently fold together until almost combined.
- Pour the batter into your lined pan and sprinkle the 1 tbsp sprinkles on top. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted about 2/3 of the way to the centre comes out with moist crumbs. Do not overbake!
- Let fully cool before slicing and serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days and enjoy!
- While the brownies cool, make your frosting by adding the butter, cocoa, 1 1/2 tbsp milk and vanilla into a medium sized bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Then add in the icing sugar and beat for an additional minute. If frosting is too thick, add another 1/2 tbsp of milk to thin it out.
- Once the brownies are fully cooled, spread your frosting on top and sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp sprinkles on top and enjoy!
These are one of my kids favourites and I live baking them for daycare as they’re easy to make peanut free.
If you give them a try, leave a review and star rating letting me know what you thought!