Texas Brownies

These brownies are moist and delicious! Pull them out of the oven and pour the frosting right onto them, none of this "waitin-till-they-cool" stuff! :)

For the brownies you'll need:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup strong coffee (or water)

1/4 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

And for the frosting:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 T. dark cocoa

1/4 cup milk (plus a lil' extra for later)

3 1/2 cups unsifted powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla



To start, butter a 17 1/2 -by- 11 inch jelly roll pan. Be sure to get the edges well!

Mix the flour and sugar well in a large bowl.


Then in a large saucepan, melt the butter and shortening together.



Once it's all melted and blended, stir in coffee and cocoa.

Bring to a boil.

Pour the boiling mixture into the flour/sugar bowl.

Stir until well combined.

Add in 2 regular eggs, or like in my case, one goose egg. (Huge, huh?)

Then add your buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make some by mixing 1/2 cup milk with 2 t. lemon juice or vinegar. I like to make it right when I need it, because it seems to get clumpy when left to sit for awhile. Stir it well and dump it in!

Then add your baking soda and vanilla. Mix together well.

Pour into your greased pan and spread out to the edges evenly.

Bake at 400* for 20 minutes.
And don't worry, you aren't done yet! Those dishes will have to wait till after you've made the frosting... I'm sorry, I know how you're dying to get to them... ;) 

In the same pan you used earlier, melt a stick of butter.

Whisk in milk and cocoa, and bring it all to a boil.



Add powdered sugar, do not panic, it will all stir together. Keep the burner on low and start stirrin.



Keep stirrin...

And soon it'll look like this! Add 1 T. more milk and slowly stir. At this point the frosting may seem fine, but when it sets up, it'll get hard if you don't add the extra milk.

Dump in the vanilla. The brownies should be about done by now. 

Check the brownies with a toothpick. If it comes out clean (like this) they're done. If it has batter on it, put them back in for a bit. Keep your eye on them so they don't burn.

Pour the frosting on the brownies and carefully spread. Let it cool and eat up!