Irish Cream Brownies with Irish Cream Frosting

Saint Patrick's Day is coming up, and this year I decided to combine my love of chocolate and Irish cream in brownie form! These Irish Cream Brownies are rich and fudgy with a hint of Irish cream liqueur in both their brownie base and their frosting.

They feel decadent and fun without tasting too boozy, and they're topped off with chopped chocolate and shamrock sprinkles for an added crunch! Plus, they're really easy to make and come together pretty quickly.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that the butter for your frosting is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Cream Cheese: This will also need to be softened before mixing with the butter for your frosting. If you forget to leave it at room temperature or you are in a hurry, you can take it out of the foil wrapper and place it on a plate to microwave it for about 5-10 seconds, turn it over and microwave it another 5-10 seconds on the other side. It should be soft but not melting.
  • Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients:
  • I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.

Let's bake! Start off by lining an 8 or 9 inch square pan with parchment paper and preheating your oven to 350º F.

Heat the butter and chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring it until it melts. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a stand mixer, add sugar, and mix on medium until it is well blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined, followed by the Irish cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the chocolate mixture and mix just until combined.

Carefully pour the batter into the pan and smooth it out until it is even. The batter will be thick. Bake brownies for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of it comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack before gently running a knife around the edges of the pan and gently lifting them out of the pan by the parchment paper.

While the brownies cool, let's make that frosting! Cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the Irish cream followed by spoonfuls of confectioners sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix just until combined.

Carefully spread the frosting on top of the brownies and top them off with chopped chocolate and shamrock sprinkles.

To get the cleanest cut edges, I recommend chilling the brownies once you top them with the cream cheese frosting. You can pop them in the freezer for a few minutes or the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Make sure you use a sharp knife and wipe the knife off between each slice you make too.

Cut the brownies into four rows. Turn and cut into another four rows to make sixteen squares. Keep leftover brownies covered in the fridge in an airtight container. Brownie slices can also be individually wrapped and stored in the freezer too. Enjoy!

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