Patriotic Fudge Brownies

 Patriotic Fudge Brownies

Perfect for that Memorial Day or Fourth of July party, cookout or summer picnic, or whenever you want to show your American pride!  A great fudge brownie recipe, a little free hand and some tinted frosting can bring out the best holiday treat!  

Patriotic Fudge Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and then stir in sugar until combined.  In a large bowl beat the eggs lightly and then add cocoa, salt, baking power and vanilla.  Add hot butter mixture and stir until smooth.

Next add the flour and chocolate chips and mix well.  Pour batter into a baking pan and bake  brownies for about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before frosting, cutting and serving.

Once cooled, run a knife around the inside edge of the brownie pan. Cut into individual rectangular flag shapes. Mine are approximately 2-1/2'' wide by 1-1/2'' tall.

Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 tablespoon milk

Using a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy.  With mixer still running add in vanilla.  Slowly mix in powdered sugar and melted white chocolate. Add enough milk to reach the consistency you like for your frosting. Reserve a little frosting into three separate small bowls and add a drop of red and blue food coloring to two of them. 

Once brownies have completely cooled, decorate by piping on stars and stripes.

Decorate

Fit a pastry bag with a flat  tip with the red frosting. Pipe a small blue square at the top of each brownie and fill it in.  Next pipe on alternating straight lines of red and white frosting across brownies. Pipe one on top and the other on the bottom, onto the brownie, as shown in the pictures. Repeat until all brownies have red and white stripes. 

Finally, change to a small star tip and pipe on your stars in the blue square.

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