Fun Food Friday- Buttermilk Brownies

One day I needed to make brownies for GEMS and I looked in my cupboards and didn't have any brownie mix.  So I looked in this cookbook that my mom had given me.  Her grandma lived to be one month shy of 101 and for her 100th birthday they put together a cookbook called "Cousins By the Dozen."  So I looked in there and found a recipe for buttermilk brownies.  I had all the ingredients (minus the buttermilk but I had milk and lemon juice so we were okay :)) so I decided to make them.  Yeah, no more boxed brownies for this family.  They really are not hard to make and they are so incredibly delicious.  And best of all, they have frosting on top. :)  So if you're in the mood for brownies, skip the boxed ones and whip up these homemade ones, you will not be disappointed. :) 
On a side note, I decided to blog these because my friend requested I do it and it made me think, maybe other people have something they'd like blogged.  So I added a Contact Me thing on the side of my blog and if there's something you'd like a recipe for just send me a note.  I can do the work of finding a good recipe for you :).

Ingredients: Flour, Sugar, Milk & Lemon Juice (or buttermilk), Vanilla, Baking Soda, Butter, Eggs, Powdered Sugar, Cocoa

 

Since I didn't have buttermilk I first had to "make" my buttermilk by combining 1/2 cup milk...

and 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon juice and letting it set for 10 minutes.

Into a mixer bowl sift together 2 cups flour...

And 2 cups sugar

Then you tap the edge of the sifter like so :)

So it makes the flour and sugar nice a light.  If you do not have a sifter you can just combine the flour and sugar and mix it with a whisk till it's nice and soft looking :)

Next unwrap 2 sticks of butter and put in a sauce pan

Melt the butter over medium heat

Then add 1 cup of water...

And 1/4 cup of cocoa

Mix together and continue stirring...

Until it comes to a boil

Add it to your flour/sugar mixture

And mix for 2 minutes.  I set a timer to make sure I let it go long enough

2 minutes is a long time when you're just standing there watching it mix :)

After 2 minutes it will be nice and smooth looking, almost like a thick chocolate syrup

To this add your 1/2 cup of "buttermilk"...

2 eggs...

1 teaspoon baking soda...

and 1 teaspoon vanilla

And once again mix for 2 minutes

Micah has become very good at scraping the mixer attachment to get all of the batter off

Of course he has an ulterior motive, he wants to eat the batter :) 

This is one happy boy :)

Pour into a greased 11x17 jelly roll pan

And bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

 

When they're done let them cool before frosting.

 

For the frosting:  Add to a mixing bowl 1/4 cup softened butter...

2 cups powdered sugar...

2 Tablespoons Cocoa

3 Tablespoons milk... 

and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Then turn on the mixer and let it go for, you guessed it, about 2 minutes :)...

Or until nice and smooth

Now you will notice that mine has nice little bumps in it.  That is because my cocoa was getting down to the bottom and old and even though I had a new one there, I'm just too Dutch not to use the other stuff till it's gone. :)  What I should have done was just sift the powdered sugar and cocoa together, then it really would have been smooth, but it was still very delicious :)

Pour onto the cooled brownies..

And spread it all out

And then dig

Or, if you want to be really naughty... 

Go ahead and throw a scoop of ice cream on top and drizzle with chocolate syrup, I promise, you will not be disappointed :)

 

 

Buttermilk Brownies

Brownies

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup water

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 TBS lemon juice)

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 TBS cocoa

3 TBS milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

 

First, if you are using milk plus lemon juice instead of buttermilk, combine the milk and lemon juice and set for 10 minutes.  Sift together flour and sugar into a mixer bowl.  In a saucepan melt butter.  Add water and cocoa and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Pour into bowl with flour/sugar mixture.  Beat on medium/high for 2 minutes.  Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla.  Beat 2 more minutes.  Pour into a greased 11x17 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cool.

For the frosting, add all the ingredients to a mixer bowl and mix on high for 2 minutes.  Spread on top of brownies.  Enjoy!