My mother is a wonderful cook and is well known for her delicious homemade brownies. She has made them for fifty-three years; her original brownie pan wore out about ten years ago.
When mom started baking brownies in 1959, she adapted her recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Through the years, her brownies have been taken to sick friends, church & school events and often requested for family meals. Her brownies are like comfort food to me; besides her homemade biscuits, they are my most favorite food that she cooks.
BROWNIES
1 cup sugar
5 Tbsp. cocoa
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Combine sugar and cocoa. Add oil and mix well. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in flour until combined. Stir in nuts. Bake in greased 7X11″ (approx. size) or 8″ square pan at 350 for about 22 minutes. (Remove from oven when they are set around the edges, and the center is very soft. As they cool, they get firm. If you cook them until the center is firm, they are dry. Also, you can adjust the amount of cocoa to suit your taste.)
FROSTING
1 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup confectioners sugar
Heat water and butter until it melts. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa and vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat till spreading consistency. (If too dry, add a drop or two of water. If too thin, add a little more confectioners sugar. Also, you can adjust the amount of cocoa to suit your taste.)
The brownies are great plain or frosted. Store them in an air-tight container so they don’t dry out. They are best when eaten during the first or second day after baking.
