Ultra-Chewy Brownies with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

I am thankful for Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for a national holiday set aside to count our blessings, to share, to remember how much we have and to help those who have less.
I am thankful that Little Stephen gets the whole week off, and that the Geologist gets almost the whole week off!
I am thankful for my family, and how much fun we have together.
I am thankful for my giant kitchen to make Thanksgiving dinner in!!
I am thankful for the sun. And the rain. And snow, frost, wind, thunder, fog, and clear blue skies. I love weather.
I am thankful for neighbors that are friends :)
I am thankful for FOOD!
I am thankful for little boys and giant beasties.
I am thankful to live in Colorado instead of Houston! What would I do without snow?!
I am thankful for music, and prayer, and forgiveness, and new days.
I am thankful for blogging, and sharing my thoughts and talents, and for YOU who read them! I really do love you :)

I am thankful for thankfulness.

Old-Fashioned Ultra-Chewy Brownies (adapted slightly from Cooking Classy)
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, minus 2 Tb (take out 2 Tb of the flour)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tb milk

1 recipe Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/butter and line an 8x8 baking dish. (I recommend lining for easy removal!) 

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside. (Be gentle, that cocoa powder can poof all over the place, just like powdered sugar!) 

In a large mixing bowl, mix together granulated sugar, light-brown sugar and melted butter with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. 

Add half of the flour mixture and mix just until combined, stir in milk, then add remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined. Be careful not to overmix! This makes a very thick batter. 

Spoon batter into a greased/buttered 8x8 baking dish and spread into the corners, as evenly as you can. 

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until center is almost set. Let cool completely and frost with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

5 oz cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar, then sift in cocoa powder and mix until smooth and fluffy.

Last week I was randomly hit with a brownie craving. For someone who isn't nuts about chocolate, a bit unusual, no? But there it was! It was a very specific craving. No deep dark fudgy-ness that the Geologist so adores, I wanted chewy. Chewy like the awful pre-packaged store-bought things that I used to inhale as a teenager. Could you achieve that without all the strange chemistry they put in those things? The answer was...

Yep!! Of course you can! I'd never tried, and now these are my favorite brownies. I ate TWO! They were perfect. Just what I wanted. Very very chewy!

The chocolate obviously isn't as strong, but it's definitely there. Joe said it tasted like hot chocolate, and I think he is exactly right!

And that frosting... oh my heavens and a half, that is some seriously glorious frosting. Of course, everything is better with cream cheese. But WOW. That recipe makes a lot, but trust me, you want to use it ALL!! It's so smooth, and creamy, and fluffy, with that cream-cheese tang...Mmmmmm

Yup, this is a keeper!  I hope you try them, they're SO good. The Geologist thought they weren't chocolatey enough, but who cares. These, for once, were for ME. (Even though the rest did end up at his office...)

Who says we have to wait till Thursday... What are YOU thankful for, my dear friends??

Shared at On the Menu Monday and Sunday Showcase