Grandma's Brownies

Grandma's Brownies - made October 18, 2019 from https://ulasngerti.blogspot.com/

Before I get into this brownie recipe, given it's the day after Halloween and some of you might have leftover candy you want to use up, here's a post I did several years ago that curated some of the recipes you can throw those leftover chocolate bars into. This particular brownie recipe isn't dense enough to really take a chunky Snickers bar but you could always press leftover M&Ms on top of the frosting.

After my last cupcake fail, I needed something a little more surefire of success. Fortunately, brownies are easier to bake successfully at higher altitudes since they don't need to rise (and it would be preferable if they don't) and don't rely on chemical leavening. This recipe doesn't even have any.

Despite that, when I first tried the taste test piece, I was a little ambivalent about the texture on this one. It was moist like any good brownie should be but it wasn't quite as dense as I wanted. It's still more dense than a cake so it's not quite cakey but it isn't as fudgy as my go-to recipe for frosted fudge brownies.

It isn't that I didn't like it but I don't know if I loved it. Fortunately I baked it to take to my niece and her roommate as I was doing a quick trip to visit. So I packaged up most of them to give away. I did set aside - ahem - a couple of pieces for me to snack on during my extended layover though.

It was a good thing I did as it turns out I liked these just fine the next day. Still moist and they seemed to have gotten fudgier overnight. Or else they were just the best option while sitting at the airport waiting for my flight.

Regardless, thumbs up on these. The frosting isn't that thick and it does set quickly so work fast to spread it evenly over the brownie.

3 sticks (24 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
3. Whisk together cocoa powder, flour and salt in a bowl. 
4. On low speed, alternately add dry ingredients in three additions and milk in two additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined; do not overmix. 
5. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with offset metal spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool for 30 minutes before frosting.
6. Make frosting: in a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, milk and granulated sugar. Bring to boil, whisking to combine, and boil for one minute. Remove from heat; stir in salt and chocolate chips. Whisk vigorously until smooth then immediately pour onto warm brownies, spreading before frosting sets. Cool for at least an hour before cutting and serving.