Lunch Lady Brownies

Name: Lunch Lady Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 155 min
Ingredients: 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; ¼ cup melted butter; ¼ cup milk; 3 cups powdered sugar; ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Completely fudgy and rich and covered in homemade chocolate frosting, this homemade lunch lady brownies recipe is one of the best brownies out there.

Jump to Recipe

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time2 35

Servings

Table of Contents

Lunch Lady Brownies Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Lunch Lady Brownies Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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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.

Lunch Lady Brownies Ingredients

You’ll need:

For The 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

For The Frosting:

¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup milk
3 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Substitutions And Additions

FROSTING: Replace the chocolate icing with a different flavor. Try vanilla or peanut butter for a fun twist on this classic.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS: These delicious brownies can always use more chocolate. Add chocolate chips to the batter for even more yummy rich chocolate flavor.

SPRINKLES: Everything is more fun with sprinkles! To add a bit of color to this already perfect brownie, add colorful sprinkles on top of the frosting.

BUTTER: Both salted and unsalted butter work fine in this recipe.

How To Make This Lunch Lady Brownies Recipe

STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, combine the melted butter and cocoa powder until smooth.

melted butter and cocoa powder mixed together

STEP TWO: Add the flour, sugar, and salt and mix together. The mixture will be dry and crumbly.

STEP THREE: Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

eggs and vanilla added to the salt mixture

STEP FOUR: Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour brownie batter into the pan.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Lining the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil will allow you to lift the entire rectangle of baked brownies out of the pan for easier cutting once cooled. You can also grease the pan instead if you would prefer.

STEP FIVE: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

brownie batter poured into a pan then baked

STEP SIX: 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 and similar to the consistency of canned frosting but will taste much better!

PRO TIP:

If the frosting is too thick, add one tablespoon of milk at a time to thin it out a bit.

butter, milk, powdered sugar and vanilla whisked together

STEP SEVEN: Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before frosting. Then spread frosting over the top of the brownies.

STEP EIGHT: Let cool completely before slicing.

PRO TIP:

These brownies are so decadent, you can serve smaller portions if you would like to get more than 12 servings out of the batch.

How To Serve

Whip a batch for an after-school snack and serve with a glass of milk or our refreshing pineapple lemonade. Or you can sneak them into a lunchbox for all your big and little kids. The whole family will love the delightful chocolate taste of this treat.

Love brownies? Don’t forget to try our coconut brownies or our reader favorite, peanut butter brownies, for more wonderful recipes.

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Chocolate Poke Cake

Storage

AT ROOM TEMPERATURE: These old-fashioned brownies are typically stored at room temperature in either an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap or foil. Stored like this, they can last up to 4 days if they aren’t eaten first!

IN THE FREEZER: If they last long enough, this homemade brownie recipe can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

close up overhead shot of Lunch Lady Brownies on a baking dish

These delicious lunch lady brownies are a dream for chocolate lovers. They will satisfy even the strongest chocolate craving. With rich, moist brownies covered in chocolate frosting made from scratch, these brownies are thick and delicious and reminiscent of childhood for so many.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze these homemade brownies?

You can definitely freeze this fudgy brownie recipe. They should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Can I use store-bought frosting in place of the homemade one?

If you are looking for a quick shortcut for this simple recipe to save time, you can use store-bought frosting on top of these brownies.

Can I add chocolate chips or nuts to these brownies?

The lunch lady brownies would be delicious with either chocolate chips or nuts mixed in.

Can I cut this recipe in half and make them in an 8-inch pan?

While we haven’t tried this, you can give it a go and let us know how you make out.

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Lunch Lady Brownies

5 from 21 votes

Completely fudgy and rich and covered in homemade chocolate frosting, this homemade lunch lady brownies recipe is one of the best brownies out there.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 2 35

Servings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

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.

Video

Notes

Lining the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil will allow you to lift the entire baked brownies out of the pan for easier cutting once cooled. You can also grease the pan instead if you would prefer.
If the frosting is too thick add one tablespoon of milk at a time to thin it out a bit.
These brownies are so decadent, you can serve smaller portions if you would like to get more than 12 servings out of the batch!

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant

Lunch Lady Brownies

Lunch Lady Brownies Ingredients

Substitutions And Additions

How To Make This Lunch Lady Brownies Recipe

How To Serve

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