These mini egg brownies are everything an Easter brownie should be. Fudgy chocolate batter loaded with crushed Cadbury mini eggs, topped with chocolate frosting, and finished with more mini eggs. They are the Easter bake that disappears first and everyone looks forward to.
Quick Look
- 📋 Recipe: Mini Egg Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
- ⏲️ Ready In: 40 minutes
- 👪 Servings: 16 brownies
- 🔪 Difficulty: Easy
- 💭 Top Tip: Press the mini eggs into the frosting while it is still warm so they sink in slightly and stay put once everything sets.
Why You'll Love These Mini Egg Brownies
- Chocolate frosting sets them apart. Every other mini egg brownie recipe skips the frosting. This one doesn't, and it makes all the difference.
- Fudgy and rich. These are dense, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey in the best possible way.
- Mini eggs in the batter AND on top. You get that signature crunch and pop of colour in every single bite.
- Ready in under an hour. Simple ingredients, one bowl, no special equipment required.
- Made for Easter entertaining. These are totally delicious, travel well to any Easter gathering, great for Easter gifting too.
The Easter Brownie That Actually Has Frosting
Here is something I noticed when I started developing this recipe: every mini egg brownie recipe out there skips the frosting. They are all beautiful, fudgy, and loaded with Cadbury eggs, but the brownie is essentially the same as every other version. Just brownie, just eggs on top.
This one is different.
I based these on the classic lunch lady brownie, a recipe that has been circulating in school cafeterias and church cookbooks for generations. The signature move is a chocolate frosting that goes onto the brownies while they're still warm, melting slightly into the surface as it sets. The result is a glossy, fudgy layer that makes these brownies look like they came from a proper bakery. And then you press the Cadbury mini eggs right into that warm frosting and they stay exactly where you put them. No eggs sliding around, no bare patches, just a beautiful finished brownie that looks as good as it tastes.
If you love baking for Easter, you might also enjoy this Easter trifle with mini eggs as a showstopper centrepiece for your dessert table, or these Cadbury mini egg cookies for a full mini egg baking weekend.
What Are Cadbury Mini Eggs?
Cadbury Mini Eggs are solid milk chocolate candies shaped like small speckled eggs, coated in a thin, crisp candy shell. They have been an Easter staple since 1967 and they have a cult following that is entirely deserved.
In Canada, Cadbury Mini Eggs are made by Mondelez with a slightly different formulation than the US version, which is made under license by Hersheys. Most Canadian mini egg lovers will tell you ours taste better, they're also a little brighter than their American counterparts.
In Canada, we also have the Cadbury Micro Mini Eggs, they are about seven times smaller than the regular ones. They look great scattered over the frosting alongside the regular eggs for extra visual texture. In the US, look for them online.
The Lunch Lady Brownie Connection
The lunch lady brownie is an old-fashioned recipe that a lot of people have strong memories of. It's the brownie that showed up in elementary school cafeterias, at potlucks, and in the kind of handwritten recipe cards that get passed between neighbours. The chocolate frosting is spread over the warm brownies, and soaks slightly into the brownie surface and sets into something that is part frosting, part fudge, part glossy chocolate shell. It is genuinely one of the best things you can do to a brownie. And adding mini eggs to the mix, twice: once inside, and once on top is pretty much the best glow up ever.
Ingredients
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Used in both the brownie and the frosting. Make sure it is unsweetened cocoa, not hot chocolate powder or drinking chocolate, which have added sugar and will throw off the balance.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the chocolate flavour in both the batter and the frosting.
- Cadbury Mini Eggs: Roughly chopped for the batter, and a mix of whole, halved, and roughly crushed for pressing into the warm frosting. If you can find Cadbury Micro Mini Eggs, scatter those over the top too for extra colour and texture.
How To Make Mini Egg Brownies
- Step 1: Make the brownie batter. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides, and spray with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Add the flour and sugar and beat together. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix just until combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Step 2: Crush the mini eggs and fold into the batter. Place roughly one cup of mini eggs into a zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. You want a mix of sizes, some halved, some in smaller pieces. Or chop with a sharp knife. Fold the crushed eggs into the brownie batter until evenly distributed.
- Step 3: Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes. You want the brownies still warm when you add the frosting.
- Step 4: Make the frosting. Beat together the softened butter, milk, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar until completely smooth. The frosting will be thick and spreadable.
- Step 5: Spread the frosting and press in the mini eggs. Spread the frosting over the warm brownies and work it to the edges. The heat from the brownies will melt the frosting slightly into the surface as it sets. Working quickly while the frosting is still warm and tacky, press your mini eggs across the surface. Use a mix of whole eggs, halved pieces, and crushed bits for the most beautiful finish. Scatter Cadbury Micro Mini Eggs over the top if you have them.
- Step 6: Cool completely and cut. Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. The frosting needs time to set and the brownies need to firm up for clean cuts. Cut with a sharp knife wiped clean between each slice.
Expert Tips
- Frost while the brownies are still warm. Spread the frosting about 15 minutes out of the oven. The heat from the brownie does the work. It will melt the frosting slightly into the surface so it sets into that glossy fudgy finish.
- Have your mini eggs ready before adding the frosting. The frosting sets as it cools so you want to be ready to press the eggs in immediately.
- Don't overmix the batter. Mix just until the flour disappears. Overmixing develops gluten and makes brownies tough and cakey rather than fudgy.
- Use parchment with overhang. Let the parchment hang over the sides of the pan so you can lift the whole slab out easily before cutting.
Variations
- Double the batch. Double all ingredients and bake in a 9x13 inch pan. Increase baking time to 30 to 35 minutes and watch for the toothpick test.
- Try a vanilla frosting. A vanilla frosting tinted pastel pink or blue would be a fun Easter variation that lets the colourful mini eggs stand out even more against a lighter background.
- Add micro mini eggs. If you can find Cadbury Micro Mini Eggs, scatter them generously over the regular eggs on top. The size contrast is beautiful and they fill in all the gaps for a really abundant finished look.
- Make them for Christmas. Swap the mini eggs for Cadbury Mini Snowballs and you have a festive winter version of the same recipe.
- For another Easter recipe that uses Cadbury mini eggs as the star, this mini egg Easter trifle is an incredible make-ahead dessert for Easter dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
The candy shell protects the chocolate inside during baking, so the eggs hold their shape reasonably well. The ones folded into the batter will soften slightly and the shell may crack, but you will still get visible pieces and pockets of chocolate throughout. The ones pressed into the frosting after baking stay intact completely.
Yes, and this recipe does both. Roughly crushed eggs go into the batter before baking, and get pressed into the warm frosting after. You get mini egg flavour and texture throughout every layer.
The heat from the warm brownie melts the frosting slightly into the surface as it sets, creating a glossy fudgy layer rather than a stiff buttercream on top. It also means the mini eggs you press in will stay perfectly in place as everything cools and sets together.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Yes. Cool completely, cut into squares, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
The two most common reasons are overmixing the batter and overbaking. Mix just until combined and start checking for doneness at 20 minutes. The toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs, not completely clean.
Yes. Add a pinch of salt to the batter and a pinch to the frosting to compensate.
An 8x8 inch pan gives you thick, generous brownies. A 9x9 inch pan will work but the brownies will be slightly thinner and may bake a few minutes faster.
Yes. Double all ingredients and bake in a 9x13 inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes. Watch for the toothpick test rather than going strictly by time.
More Easter Recipes You'll Love
If you try these mini egg brownies or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Recipe
Mini Egg Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Brownies
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup Cadbury mini eggs roughly chopped, or crushed
Chocolate Frosting and Topping
- 2 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup Cadbury Mini Eggs chopped or crushed
- 3 tablespoons Cadbury Micro Mini Eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Add the flour and sugar and mix together. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix just until combined. Do not overmix. Batter will be thick.½ cup salted butter, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Place one cup of mini eggs in a zip-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin into varied-sized pieces, or chop with a large knife. Fold the crushed mini eggs into the brownie batter.1 cup Cadbury mini eggs
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Beat together the softened butter, milk, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar until smooth. The frosting will be thick and spreadable.2 tablespoons salted butter, 2 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Spread the frosting over the warm brownies and work it to the edges. The heat from the brownies will melt it slightly into the surface as it sets. Immediately press the topping mini eggs across the surface while the frosting is still warm and tacky. Scatter micro mini eggs over the top if using.½ cup Cadbury Mini Eggs, 3 tablespoons Cadbury Micro Mini Eggs
- Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting, then slice with a sharp knife wiped clean between each cut.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead: Brownies keep well covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Wrap individual squares in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Doubling: Double all ingredients and bake in a 9x13 inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Micro mini eggs: Primarily available in Canada - check specialty candy stores or online if you are in the US. Scatter over the frosting for extra colour and texture.
- Clean cuts: Wipe your knife between each slice.
Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says
These brownies are amazing, dense, chocolaty, fudgy, and the crunch and taste of mini eggs takes them over the top!