Tis the season for potlucks, picnics, family reunions, and other “make it and take it” events. I don’t know about you, but I always struggle to know what to take to “contribute some food” events.
When a recent occasion came up where I needed to make some “take it”, I whipped up a quick batch of these brownies:
These Texas Brownies are my favorite brownies in the history of all things chocolate and ooey and gooey. I love how you can bake them and put the frosting on immediately instead of waiting for them to cool to do the final steps. Here’s the run-down of how they’re made:
Step One: Melt together butter, cocoa and strong coffee or water until the mixture just comes to a boil.
Step Two: Pour the hot liquid into a mixture of flour and sugar.
Step 3: Add eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla to the mixture and beat well.
Step 4: Try not to lick the beaters… Scratch that. Lick the beaters!!;)
Step 5: Pour batter into pan. ( The recipe calls for it to be poured into a jelly roll pan (17 1/2 x 11 inches), but this time, I used 2 disposable cookie sheet pans I purchased from the Dollar Store. That way I didn’t need to worry about making sure I got my pans back! It worked like a charm.)
Step 6: While the brownies are baking, prepare the frosting.
Step 7 *This is key* ~ Once the brownies are finished baking, pour the warm frosting over the brownies and spread out quickly and add sprinkles if you’d like. The frosting sets quite fast, so you don’t want to dilly dally on this step!
And just like that, you have the perfect make and take dessert for your next meal to share…or for you to just enjoy at home!
- BROWNIES:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup strong brewed coffee or water
- ¼ cup cocoa
- ½ cup buttermilk**
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- FROSTING
- ½ cup butter
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa
- ¼ cup milk
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour and sugar. In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, coffee or water, and cocoa. Stir and heat to boiling. Pour boiling mixture over the flour and sugar in the bowl. Add the buttermilk**, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well, using a wooden spoon or high speed on electric mixer. Pour into a 17½ x 11 inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until brownies test done in the center.
- While brownies bake, prepare the frosting: In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until frosting is smooth. Pour warm frosting over brownies as soon as you take them out of the oven. Cool. Cut into 48 bars.
- **If you don't have buttermilk, pour ½ Tablespoon lemon juice into a measuring cup and add enough milk to equal ½ cup.
Looking for another Summer make it and take it recipe? You might like this great Macaroni Salad:
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