Been enjoying signs of Spring….how about you? Before I get to the brownies, I want you to see what I’ve been feasting my eyes upon today:
Now to dessert………………:)
Back in the ’50’s and and early 60’s my mother’s kitchen never stocked cake or brownie mixes. These desserts were always made from scratch. As I perused over my mom’s worn and battered recipe cards, I studied this one.
This was the brownie recipe Grandma Margaret always made us kids for each holiday (along with homemade mac and cheese). Little did I know this delicious dish was discovered by my Aunt Marilyn, Grandma’s daughter, from northern Iowa. She was a terrific cook, as well! So all these years I’ve been handing over special kuddos to my Gram when, in fact, I should be calling it Aunt Marilyn’s. Well……shhhhhhhh……I’m not going to change the name now. Nope, not ever. To this day I can see my brothers and me rush into Grandma’s kitchen for that special holiday meal(we were next-door neighbors) to see what was on her stove top. Always brownies. Always mac and cheese. She really was a terrific cook and we gobbled up everything on our plates so that we could have dessert!
Grandma Margaret's Brownies
Ingredients
- For brownies:
- 1 C sugar
- 1 stick margaring
- 4 eggs
- 1 12 oz can chocolate syrup. I use Hershey's
- 1 C flour plus 1 T flour
- 2 t baking powder
- 1 t vanilla
- 1/2 C nuts
- For frosting:
- 1 1/3 C sugar
- y T margarine
- 6 T milk
- 1 C chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix together sugar, 1 stick margarine, 4 eggs. Add in syrup, flour, vanilla, baking powder and nuts (optional). Place in greased 9x13 pan. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. While brownies are baking, make frosting.
- Frosting: In medium saucepan stir together 1 1/3 C sugar, 6 T margarine and milk. Bring to boil and boil 1 minute. Take off burner. Add chocolate chips. Cool some. When brownies cool,pour frosting over the top. Garnish with nuts if desired.
Fun today making dessert with Jen. She mixed up the brownies while I made the frosting. It’s delightful to share the kitchen with others, especially those you love dearly. 🙂 We chattered on about many things, and always talk about cooking techniques. Be sure to share your kitchen. It’s so rewarding!
When did those cake and brownie mixes become staples in the American pantry? Well, dvo.com says they’ve been around for 50 years. Guess my mom didn’t start stocking them til I was in high school–late 60’s early 70’s. Sounds as though they were a bit dry at the beginning and developed more and more moistness through the decades. I remember how delighted Mom was to open an angel food cake mix, always telling me how many eggs an angel food cake from scratch would take. Think it was a dozen! Wowzer! That’s a whole lot of breakfast food!
Do you have a cake or brownie story from your youth about what your mom or grandma would cook that just doesn’t happen today? Grandma Margararet would die if she knew the grandkids loved my mac and cheese…….Kraft, that is. Tee Hee!
Enjoy!
Looks great. For the chocolate do you use the cylinder type Hershey’s syrup that you open with a can opener. Or do you use the squeeze bottle. Thank you. I love these old recipes and want to make them.
You can use either! 🙂 This time I used the squeeze bottle. Just as long as you get the 15 oz in, it doesn’t matter. Thank you for following our blog!
Denise
And Teresa, make sure you cook the frosting until the sugar is dissolved. You may need to taste-test.
Thanks! Denise