Happy Birthday Brownies with Pink Raspberry Frosting

These are not unique and they are a bit sloppily decorated (me+piping bag=not pretty) but they tasted so good and were so loved by the birthday girl and party attendees I changed my mind about posting them.

The birthday girl's favorite flavor combo is raspberry and chocolate. Brownies with raspberry buttercream frosting seemed the perfect treat to make. After smearing the brownies with frosting, the leftover was loaded into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and piped on the brownies as decoration. No judging please.

Letters were cut out of  homemade marshmallow fondant with alphabet cookie cutters and then brushed them with vodka and covered with disco dust.

I packaged them up individually in cellophane bags tied with ribbons and arranged them on a platter. Not one left at the end of the evening.

You could also make these for Valentine's Day, cutting them into heart shapes and changing the message spelled out in fondant letters.

For the Brownies:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chopped into very small pieces

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a 9X12 inch pan with baking paper and grease the sides.
• Whisk together cocoa powder, flour, salt, and espresso powder and set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar until fluffy (3 minutes.)
• Add eggs one at a time until combined.
• Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.
• Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined.
• Add chopped chocolate and mix them through.
• Pour into pan and bake about 30 minutes.
• Cool completely before frosting.

For the Pink Raspberry Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1 stick softened butter
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons Raspberry extract or 4-5 drops of raspberry flavoring oils (I used LorAnn's)
• Pink food coloring

Directions:

• Mix the butter, 1/2 the milk and 2 cups of the powdered sugar together at a low speed until combined.
• Add the remaining powdered sugar and milk.
• Beat in raspberry extract and food coloring. 

For the marshmallow fondant:

Ingredients:

• 1/2  bag (1/2 pound) marshmallows (minis melt easier but you can use regular sized ones as well.)
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 pound of powdered sugar
• Crisco or shortening
• plastic wrap or cling film

Directions:

• Cover the inside of a heat safe bowl and a wooden spoon with Crisco or shortening.
• Place marshmallows and water in the bowl.
• Microwave the marshmallows for 30 seconds at a time stirring the mixture in between with the wooden spoon.
• When the mixture is the consistency of Marshmallow Fluff, stir in 3/4 of the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
• Cover your work surface with powdered sugar and cover your hands with Crisco or shortening.
• Dump the fondant on the sugared surface and knead the rest of the sugar in.
• Wrap leftover fondant tightly in plastic cling film and store in a zip lock bag.