Double Frosted Bourbon Brownies

A moist, rich brownie full of walnuts, sprinkled with a little bourbon after baking and topped with two layers of frosting. Not only are they yummy, but they keep well in the refrigerator for several days. (Bring them to room temperature before serving.)

Begin with the BROWNIE LAYER. 

Assemble your ingredients. Everything is mixed together in one sauce pan - like I said - very easy! 

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 2 Tbsp water in a medium sauce pan and bring them just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. 

Add 6 oz (1 cup) chocolate chips and 1 tsp vanilla. 

Stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth. 

Add 2 eggs, one at a time, to the mixture, beating well after adding each egg. 

In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp baking soda. Mix well so that the ingredients are thoroughly combined. 

Add 1-1/2 cups walnut pieces to the flour mixture, and stir to coat the walnuts. (This helps them stay "afloat" as they bake.)

Now, add the flour/nut mixture to the chocolate mixture in the sauce pan and stir just until the flour is mixed in. 

Line a 9"x13" baking pan with heavy duty foil, coat the foil with butter or nonstick cooking spray, and pour the brownie batter into the pan, spreading it evenly. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. The brownie layer is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Watch it carefully and do NOT overbake. 

(Lining the pan with the foil is a great trick to use for all bar cookies. Once the cookies are baked and cooled, the whole thing can be lifted out of the pan with the foil. ) 

Immediately upon removing the brownie layer from the oven, pierce the surface with a fork at two inch intervals. 

Then, immediately drizzle 4 Tbsp of bourbon over the surface. Be sure to do this the minute the brownie comes out of the oven. Most of the alcohol evaporates as steam when the bourbon is poured over the HOT brownie. I am sure the liquid that remains is a big part of the reason these brownies are so moist. 

Cool the brownie layer to room temperature.

Now for the FROSTING!  

Ingredients for the white frosting layer: 1/2 cup soft butter, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 cups sifted powdered sugar and a little cream (a tablespoon or so - depending on the amount of water there is in the butter you use.) 

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat them with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add more cream as needed to get the mixture to a nice spreading consistency. 

Spread the frosting over the cooled brownie layer. 

More often than not, a little of the brownie will tear away from the surface as you're spreading the frosting, leaving crumbs in the beautiful white frosting. The bourbon did it! 

Just smooth the frosting over the torn area - crumbs and all. Once the chocolate topping has been spread over the frosting, no one will ever know!

Chill the frosted brownie layer until the frosting is cold and firm.

Now for the best part- the CHOCOLATE TOPPING. 

In the top of a double boiler, mix together 6 oz (1 cup) chocolate chips, 1 oz square unsweetened chocolate, and 1 Tbsp Crisco. Place the bowl over very hot, not boiling, water to melt the chocolate. 

Stir the chocolate until it's smooth and glossy, and pour it over the top of chilled frosting. 

Working quickly, spread the chocolate over the white frosting. It is not necessary to cover every tiny bit of white, but do try to cover it as evenly as possible. 

Chill it again until the frosting is set. 

About 30 minutes before cutting, remove the brownies from the baking pan, using the foil to lift them out. Remove the foil from the brownie - it is quite firm after chilling, so if you handle it gently, you shouldn't have to worry about it breaking. (I love baking in foil-lined pans because when I am ready to cut the brownies, I don't have to dig out the first few ragged pieces. I simply lift out the whole baked sheet, remove the foil, and cut PERFECT squares!) 

(By the way, the reason you remove the brownie from the pan 30 minutes before you cut it is so that it can rest on the cutting board at room temperature. This lets the chocolate topping warm up a little, so it's less likely to break when you cut it.) 

Cut the brownie into squares using a sharp knife. I dip the knife in HOT water and then dry it off with a towel before making EVERY cut. And when I cut, I take it slow and let the warm knife blade melt through the chocolate. When I feel a little "give", then I can apply pressure to complete the cut. Then my chocolate topping will be perfect and unbroken. (Mostly!) 

Recipe Source: http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/42