Deliciously rich, these lunch lady brownies are a decadent and fudge-like treat completely worth cutting the lunch line for. Simple to make and smothered with a thick, homemade chocolate frosting, it’s easy to see why everyone is obsessed with this 50-year-old classic recipe.
Thick, chewy, fudgy brownies with generous chocolate icing are enticing enough to have me eating these Lunch Lady Brownies for dinner.
This post was originally published eight years ago. I remade these brownies earlier this year while thinking about my friend Joan. I reshot them at the time, knowing that I wanted to share this post again on the 8th anniversary of her passing.
This classic recipe is a fudgy brownie made with melted butter and super simple ingredients. Turns out the lunch ladies got this got this school lunch dessert right!
You’ll need:
Brownies
1 cup melted butter
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Frosting
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup milk
3 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter and cocoa powder until smooth.
Add the flour, salt, and sugar then mix together. The mixture will be dry and crumbly.
Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and pour batter into pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
While the brownies are baking, make the frosting by whisking together the butter, milk, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. The frosting should be thick and spreadable. It should be similar to the consistency of canned frosting but way better. If it’s too thick add a little milk, a tablespoon at a time.
Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before frosting. Then spread frosting over the top of the brownies.
Let cool completely before slicing.