These boozy Bailey's Irish cream brownies are soft and fudgy, then topped with Irish cream frosting and fun themed sprinkles for an easy St Patrick's Day dessert!
Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
Add in the eggs one at a time and whisk each one until fully incorporated and the batter starts to get lighter in color.
Then add in the Irish cream and mix until smooth.
Fold in the cocoa powder, flour, espresso powder, and salt and mix until the batter is just combined.
Cut a parchment paper sling slightly smaller than the width of the cake pan and make sure it fits flatly in the bottom. Then lightly spray the bottom and sides of the pan with a vegetable oil based spray. Place you parchment paper sling in the bottom of the pan and smooth it out so that it sticks to the pan spray (you can use metal binder clips to secure it to the pan). After baking you’ll be able to just slide the brownies right out of the pan!
Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan.
Bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out mostly clean.
Remove from the oven and let fully cool in the pan. Then use the edges of the parchment paper to slide the brownies out of the pan.
Frosting
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
Set the mixer to low speed and slowly drizzle in the Irish cream until it's fully incorporated into the buttercream.
Beat the frosting on high for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
If the frosting in too thick, you can add in 1 tablespoon of Irish cream at a time to thin it out a bit.
Once the brownies are fully cool, scoop dollops of frosting over the surface of the brownies. Then gently smooth into an even layer and make swirls in the frosting using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with fun St Patrick's Day sprinkles if desired!
Notes
It's better to undercook the brownies slightly, than overcook them! Brownies will dry out quick, so it's best to err on the side of caution when baking brownies! Bake just until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean but still a tad gooey. If you aren't sure, just go ahead and take them out because they'll continue to firm up as they cool. Note: the larger the pan, the less time the brownies will take to cook.Be patient and let them cool. Warm brownies fresh out of the oven are delish, I know. But it's best to let them fully cool before digging in. The brownies will be less likely to crumble when you cut them and the center is more likely to be fully cooked while still being perfectly fudgy.Note: The square cake pans I use are between 2 ¼ and 2 ½ inches deep (so that you can get those super thick brownies). So if your pan happens to be shallower, you might end up with a little too much batter. So instead you can also bake these brownies in a 9x13 inch pan, just note the brownies will be much thinner than the photos.