Lunch Lady Brownies

I found this recipe on Pinterest, originally from The Salt Box House cooking exchange blog. These brownies are super good. They are rich, dense, chocolaty and tasty - kind of a cross between cakey and fudgy. These are said to be the brownies that have been served at Bonneville Jr. High in Idaho Falls for generations. Having never eaten at Bonneville Jr. High I can't be sure that's true, but if they are, those are a bunch of lucky kids in Idaho Falls.:) They do remind me of the brownies served in my elementary school if that gives any validation to the story. Wherever the recipe came from it's great, with basic ingredients I always have on hand, and my family loved them - what more can you ask for. You can double the recipe and cook it in a half sheet pan to feed a crowd.

Lunch Lady Brownies

1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla

Melt butter in microwave. Add melted butter and cocoa powder to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat together until smooth. Add flour and sugar and beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined, but don't over mix. The batter will be stiff. Spread into a greased and floured 9x13 baking dish. Smooth out with a rubber spatula.

Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until done (start checking around 20 minutes). It is hard to tell when brownies are done, but these are done when a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. Remove from oven and cool for about 15 minutes before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together with a hand mixer until smooth and combined.