these are the brownies of my dreams.

this recipe makes a huge amount of brownies. during this go-round, i made two 9″x13″ pan-fulls of brownies. my mom used to make one giant pan and cover half of the finished brownies with walnuts. (i preferred eating the walnut-ed side.)

so thank goodness the recipe is immortalized in the cookbook that my sister worked on for mom’s birthdays a few years ago (or maybe more like 10 years ago, there is no date on the book). credit for the recipe simply states: from Sheila.

the brownies:

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour (sifted)
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup butter
½ cup oil
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs

sift flour, sugar and cocoa in a bowl. in saucepan, bring water, butter and oil to a boil. pour over dry ingredients and beat until creamy. add baking soda to buttermilk. beat eggs. pour in buttermilk mixture to main batter, then add eggs and vanilla. beat thoroughly. bake in greased jellyroll pan for 18 minutes at 400°.

the frosting:

⅓ cup cocoa
⅓ cup buttermilk
½ cup butter
1 pound powdered sugar (about 3 ½ cups)
½ teaspoon vanilla

bring ⅓ cup cocoa and ⅓ cup buttermilk and 1 stick of butter (½ cup) to a boil. add 1 pound of powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla. mix well and spread over cooled brownies.

the frosting sets quickly as it cools!

savor your masterpiece. then enjoy a taste, too!