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The Batter Thickens

A food blog balancing sweet treats & healthy eats.

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Brownies

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I thought I had used up all the hot chocolate in my pantry when I made this ice cream, but then I recently found even more of it. This time it was cinnamon hot chocolate. I didn’t need to make more ice cream (even though it was delicious), so I started looking for more ideas. And I had just enough to make some hot chocolate brownies! I decided to really lean in to it and add extra cinnamon frosting to the cinnamon hot chocolate brownies.

I don’t think hot chocolate mix brownies are going to replace my go-to brownies recipe, but they certainly do in a pinch when you’ve got hot chocolate mix to get rid of! Or if you for whatever reason don’t have cocoa powder but do have hot chocolate mix. You never know when that might happen, and you never know when you might need a brownie! So it’s good to be prepared.

I think cinnamon chocolate is a bit underrated. Or even just like Mexican Hot Chocolate. Which is now reminding me of these mole chocolate cookie sandwiches that Molly made 11 years ago.

It really is amazing that I can remember some cookies from 11 years ago, and I’m thankful for this blog as a way to back up those memories and make them easily accessible!

These were maybe particularly memorable because Molly used chili powder instead of straight up ancho chili and they had a certain taste. But in her defense, you wouldn’t necessarily think that garlic powder is in a container labeled “chili powder,” would you???

So if you want to enjoy some spiced chocolate but for sure want to avoid adding garlic to your baked goods, I recommend making these cinnamon hot chocolate brownies. There’s usually no hidden garlic in cinnamon.

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Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Brownies

  • Author: Audrey
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Ingredients

Hot Chocolate Brownies

  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 5 envelopes (around 2/3 cup) hot cocoa mix (I used cinnamon hot cocoa, but any work)
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Cinnamon Frosting

  • 1 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 to 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Make the Brownies

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line and 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add in the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, beat for 1-2 minutes until the mixture turns pale and becomes thick and fluffy.
  3. Add in the baking powder, hot cocoa mix, and flour. Mix with the hand mixer on low until incorporated. Scrape down sides and give a quick mix to incorporate.
  4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Make sure to spread to all of the edges and corners.
  5. Place into the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until done. Place a toothpick into the center of the brownies and if it comes out clean or with moist crumbs, it’s done. If there’s still batter, let bake a little longer.
  6. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Make the frosting:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft, about 1 minute.
  2. Add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Beat on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated.
  3. Add another 2 cups sugar and the cream. Add remaining 2 cups of sugar as needed to thicken the frosting. Beat on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  4. Frost brownies generously.

Notes

Adapted from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt

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