Vanilla Bean Buttercream Brownies

Powdered sugar often contains cornstarch, which I try to avoid.  If you don’t like cornstarch, either, look for a brand that uses tapioca starch instead.  I buy 365 Organic Powdered Sugar at Whole Foods, and the only ingredients are organic sugar and organic tapioca starch.  Wholesome Sweeteners
organic powdered sugar, which is available on Amazon, has the same ingredients.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Brownies
Yield: 16 brownies
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus cooling time
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the brownies (adapated from Elana’s Pantry):

1 cup sunflower seed butter or almond butter*
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg

*This recipe should work with any nut butter.  Of course, use sunflower seed butter for nut-free brownies.


For the vanilla bean buttercream:

1 stick (1/4 pound or 1/2 cup) butter, softened (use salted butter or add 1/4 teaspoon sea salt if using unsalted)
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted after measuring
1 teaspoon vanilla
Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean**
2 tablespoons cranberry juice (optional)***

**If you don’t have a vanilla bean, you can omit it and add another teaspoon of vanilla extract.  You won’t have gorgeous flecks in your frosting, but it will still be delicious.  I recommend buying some, though.  They are reasonable in bulk and you can use any leftover vanilla beans to make extract or other desserts.

***I wanted to see if I could use juice to tint my frosting pink.  As you can see, it did not really work, but I liked the rich cream color I ended up with.  The frosting will not taste like cranberry.

To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 325 and line an 8×8″ glass pan with parchment paper or greased tinfoil.

In a medium bowl, beat together the nut or sunflower seed butter, honey, melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt until smooth.  Beat in the baking soda and egg until well-combined.  Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, using a spatula to smooth the top and help the batter reach all four corners of the pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until just set in the middle.  Cool completely in the pan, then remove using the parchment paper.

To make the frosting, cream the softened butter with a fork or mixer until smooth.  Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until combined (I do this by hand, but a mixer makes it easier).  Stir in the vanilla, vanilla bean seeds, and cranberry juice, if using.  If the frosting appears too thin, refrigerate it for a little while.  If it appears too thick, add a splash of juice or milk until it reaches the desired consistency.

Use a spatula to frost the cooled brownies, then slice into 16 squares and serve.

 This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase on Amazon after clicking one of my links, I receive a very small commission (the price you pay is not affected).  Thank you so much for supporting my blog!