LUNCH LADY BROWNIES
These classic Lunch Lady Brownies are always a hit!
If you love fudgy, chewy, brownies you will definitely want to make these. They are incredible and super easy to make. The frosting really takes them to the next level. If you do make these be prepared for them to disappear fast. These lunch lady brownies are perfect to take to any gathering. They keep well in an air tight container too.
Lunch Lady Brownies Ingredients Needed:
Unsweetened cocoa
All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Butter
Vanilla
Evaporated Milk or real milk
Powdered sugar
Note: I added pecans to my most recent batch and they were delicious! If you like nuts in your brownies add them. I also only used 1.5 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting and that worked well too.
Recipe Feedback: “You were right…best brownies ever! Absolutely delicious, my family loved them. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I love Front Porch Life Magazine too.”-Jessica
“Best brownies I’ve ever made! Seriously incredible. Thank you for this delicious recipe. Keeper for sure!”-Carol
“Followed the directions exactly and they turned out perfect. My family loves them! Definitely a recipe I will make over and over!”-Tammy
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Lunch Lady Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 cups of granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup of butter melted
- 4 teaspoons of vanilla
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of evaporated milk or real milk I used evaporated
- 1/4 cup of butter softened
- 3 cups of powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9X13 baking dish with foil and spray with a non stick cooking spray. I like to use Pam. Combine cocoa and melted butter in bowl and mix with an electric mixer. Then add flour and sugar and continue to beat together. Next add eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined, but don't over mix. The batter will be thick.
- Next spread into prepared baking dish and spread evenly. The batter will be thick, so this may take a moment. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until fork inserted in center comes out clean. It took mine exactly 30 minutes, but all ovens vary.
- Let cool 15 minutes and add frosting. You will want the brownies warm when you add the frosting.
Frosting Instructions
- Beat together all frosting ingredients until smooth. Pour and spread over brownies. Let them completely cool before cutting. If you find that your frosting is too thick, you can always add a little more milk to get the right consistency before spreading over the brownies.
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Notes
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My batter was a bit lumpy, which had me a little worried, but the brownies baked up beautifully & the frosting ….so good, I almost fell over! LOVE this recipe & thanks for sharing it. Can’t wait to make them for my next family gathering
YAY!! So glad you enjoyed them! I agree.. they are delicious and we love them too!
I made these today, they turned out great, I was a little skeptical at first, after reading some bad reviews. I followed the recipe exactly as it is written, and they were delicious. They were moist, did not crumble, they were perfect…I did have to bake an extra 5 minutes. My husband loves brownies and approved of these. I have tried other brownie from scratch recipes and none of them were good. This one is a keeper !!
Followed the recipe, but came out terrible. Worst brownie recipe I’ve ever used.
Hi Jane or Ashley, I’m not sure what name you go by but you left two comments under different names. Your other comment wasn’t nearly as nice as this one. However, It seems even this comment didn’t come through correctly. Here, I fixed it for you:
“I made this brownie recipe, and unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I can see from the many five-star reviews it is very popular with others so it must be a hit for many people. I’m glad others have found success it just wasn’t to my liking.”
Remember Jane or Ashley, kindness can always be spread regardless of the circumstance. Thanks!
I forgot to add stars in my comments
This brownie recipe is awesome. My family love them. I have taken it to church socials many times and I come home with an empty pan. I’ve lost count on how many times I have made them. This recipe is a keeper!
These are the best brownies I ever tasted. Thank you.
We’re so glad you liked them!!
Oh man! I don’t know what happened! These turned out super dry and crumbly. The frosting was great though!
If your brownies are dry, you over-baked them. If they are crumbly, you over mixed them. I encourage you to try them again because they are delicious!
Delicious! These turned out so good. I did go right by the recipe measurements. I added 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (mixed with 2 tablespoons hot water), to the frosting. These brownies turned out so moist and the frosting, over the top delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. 5 stars! A+++++
Beth Wilson
Raleigh, NC
Thank you, Beth! We’re so happy they were a hit for you!!
I agree with all these comments..best brownies ever!! I love this website! The recipes are wonderful!!
So glad you enjoyed them! We love these too!!
Question?? I just made these & frosted, but when I took them out of foil lined pan…they’re very thin..did I do something wrong??
Did you make them in a 9X13 pan or jelly roll pan?
I have tried many brownie recipes and this is by far the best I have tried!! I added a cup of pecans to them but didn’t change a thing!! I could eat the whole pan by myself!! Frosting is scrumptious!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Cindy! They are one of our all-time favorites.
i love how, in the photograph, the icing runs onto the sides. If you frost when warm and then wait until completely cooled to cut, will the frosting still ooze like the picture shows? It makes such an inviting presentation, don’t you think?
I took the brownies out of the pan and then added the icing, which is why it did that for the photo. You may try that.
I’m thrilled I found this recipe. I’ll never make another brownie. They are absolutely the best.
Excellent! Followed it exactly and they turns out great
After reading the ingredients to this recipe I had my doubts. No salt. No soda and no baking powder. I even read the reviews to see what people were saying. Most were raves about the recipe. Just a couple with the concerns I had. So I vowed to make the recipe following the it exactly. As I often do not. Lol. I will say that they turned out pretty well. Soft, chewy and delicious. I baked them for exactly 25 minutes in my gas oven. I can definitely tell their is no salt in there. It’s not a deal breaker but I might put just a smidge next time. But if I didn’t they would still be delicious.
Absolutely the best brownie recipe! My husband loves this recipe. Anytime he wants brownies I will be using this recipe…..thank you for sharing this wonderfully recipe!
I just made these & only had 1.5 cups of plain flour so I had to add in the other 1/2 as S R flour, I’m keeping my fingers crossed they turn out OK, it was super thick, but the recipe said it would be. I’ll let yall know if they worked this way, I didn’t have time to run to the store to get plain flour, so we’ll see, the raw batter tasted amazing, even on my WW diet 🙂 Oh Lordy !!
Will these turn out ok if I half the recipe?
I think it would be fine..I have never tried it so I can’t say for sure.
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
I’ve never tried freezing them.
I made these brownies last night. Not only are they delicious but it’s such a simple recipe using my favorite ingredient I grew up on good old fashioned Hershey’s . I know my grand children are going to love these. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s a keeper.
So glad this recipe was such a hit! We love this one too!
I happen to be old enough to remember these brownies from school. I was so excited to find your recipe. I now make these for my daughter bakery. I devide the batter and make them with walnuts and a cookies and cream with oreos. They are a great hit. Thanks
You were right…best brownies ever! Absolutely delicious, my family loved them. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I love Front Porch Life Magazine too.
So glad! Thank you for your support of the magazine too!
These are delicious! Should they be refrigerated because of the milk in frosting?
I don’t refrigerate them, but do keep them in a cool place. You definitely can though.
I’ve made these brownies now three times. My family is obsessed! It’s our forever favorite brownie recipe.
Thank you! We couldn’t agree more, they really are the BEST!
Mine were also very dry! Hubby said “if it wasn’t for the icing, I don’t think I could swallow them!” And..he’s the least picky eater I know! Maybe recipe left out water or oil?
So sorry you weren’t able to make this recipe work for you. This recipe is correct as written and these brownies have glowing reviews. If your brownies came out dry, you clearly baked them too long. All ovens vary and baking times should be used as a suggestion when making a recipe.
Made these last night and my family loved them! Such an easy recipe and delicious! They were moist and the frosting is oh so good! I love all your recipes.
Made these for Super Bowl weekend, they were gone in five minutes. I didn’t even get one! They really are the most delicious brownies.
Thank you! We’re thrilled everyone enjoyed them. We agree that they really are so delicious!
Can I substitute Country crock for the butter?
You can try, I can’t say if it will work or not, I have only made the recipe the way it’s written.
I’m not sure what I did wrong, I’ve checked and rechecked the rechecked to make sure I followed the instructions, and I gotta tell you, we weren’t happy at all with them. They were Camry, not at all fudgy as described.
I’ve made recipes of yours in the past, and they turned out good. Not happy at all with these though.
Hi Mary, I have no clue what you did wrong but as you can see this recipe has fantastic reviews. Not every recipe will work for everyone.
These are the best brownies on the planet. Period!
Did you use unsalted butter or salted?
I’ve used both, it doesn’t matter. You can use whichever you prefer.
Hi – I would like to make these for our little cafe in Australia. Could you tell me if the icing sets? Thanks!
Yes it sets.
I make these brownies all the time. Everyone loves them.
I made one change to the recipe. I remove 4 tablespoons of flour from the two cups requested in the recipe. It makes the brownies a little more moist.
This is a great brownie recipe! I bake chopped pecans into the batter and spread the frosting on the hot brownies as soon as the pan comes out of the oven. The frosting melts and tastes like sheet cake frosting.
Made them for a gathering last weekend and three people asked for the recipe! They are amazing!
Do you have to line the bottom of pan with foil? Is Pam not sufficient?
I have always used foil or wax paper, but you can try it!
Followed the directions exactly and they turned out perfect. My family loves them! Definitely a recipe I will make over and over!
I’ve made these twice in the last month! Incredible!
While using all purpose flour in this recipe, why do you not add baking powder, salt or baking soda? Will the brownies not rise without leavening?
These are not fluffy brownies, these are chewy fudge type brownies. You can try using whatever you like, but this is the recipe we use and have for years.
Do you have a cookbook for sale with the recipes you posted
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What would happen if self-rising flour was used? I just bought a 5 lb pkg.
I’ve only made them with all purpose, so I can’t really advise.
Best brownies I’ve ever made! Seriously incredible. Thank you for this delicious recipe. Keeper for sure!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them. We think they are amazing too!