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Lunch Lady Brownies – The Classic Childhood Dessert

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Lunch Lady Brownies are the best dessert ever! Moist, chewy and covered in a decadent homemade chocolate frosting.

Do you remember those chocolate brownies from Elementary School? When those were on the menu, everyone was so excited! So far, I’ve never seen them at my kids school, but given the amount of sugar in these, it makes total sense why they may have been removed from the menu.

These fudge brownies with homemade chocolate frosting on top are everyone’s favorite.

I decided to make something really nostalgic and try my hand at lunch lady brownies. 

Lunch Lady Brownies

Lunch Lady Brownies

These aren’t just really tasty, they’re pretty easy as well. Yes, they are a from scratch recipe, so they take a bit more time than the box mix, but it’s really worth it. Trust me on this.

Next recipe to try: Strawberry Brownies

Ingredients:

Everything you’ll need is a basic pantry staple. You may even have every one of these ingredients in the kitchen right now. Super simple ingredients for a deliciously scrumptious dessert. 

  • Butter
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla
  • Milk
  • Powdered Sugar

Lunch Lady Brownies

Lunch Lady Brownies

Lunch Lady Brownies Recipe

  1. Prep. Grab your baking dish and line it with aluminum foil. I have Non-Stick foil which is super handy and I highly recommend it. If you’ve got regular foil, spray it with with cooking spray.
  2. Mix. Melt two sticks of butter over low/medium heat and mix in cocoa powder. Then add the flour and sugar; stir. Lastly, the eggs and vanilla.
  3. Bake. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25 minutes on 350 degree heat. Depending on the size of your pan, it may take a little less time or a bit longer.
  4. Frost. Make the frosting by mixing all the ingredients together and pouring over the warm brownies. Let it set up before slicing and serving.

Lunch Lady Brownies

If you want, you can skip the chocolate frosting on top, but it’s highly recommended. These are SUPER rich and chocolatey so make sure you’ve got some milk on hand to serve with them!

Keep these in the fridge and enjoy them for up to a week… that is if they last that long.

Do you serve brownies hot or cold?

For almost any brownie recipe, I prefer them to be served warm, right out of the oven. Preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But, for this brownie recipe, I think chilled is the way to go. When we were served these as kids they weren’t fresh from the oven and so that’s how these should be served as well. 

Plus, there is one big difference in these brownies and others, and that is the icing. These could get pretty messy quick if the icing were warm.

You are going to love this recipe and find yourself making them over and over. Enjoy!

More Recipes To Try Next:

  • Watergate Salad
  • Brownie Mix Cookies – these are a cross between brownies and cookies because they are actually made with brownie mix as the main ingredient.
  • Cosmic Brownie Donuts

Print The Recipe Here

Lunch Lady Brownies

Lunch Lady Brownies

3.84 from 24 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Servings 15

Ingredients
  

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup melted butter
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

Brownie Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 9x13 baking dish with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
  • Melt two sticks of butter, and mix with cocoa powder with electric mixer until smooth.
  • Add the sugar and flour and mix.
  • Add eggs and vanilla and mix again.
  • Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.
  • While the brownies cool, make the frosting.

Frosting Directions:

  • Using a mixer, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.
  • Frost the brownies after they have cooled about 75% of the way but are still slightly warm.
  • Place the brownies in the fridge to cool completely before cutting.

Lunch Lady Brownies - fudge brownies with homemade chocolate frosting.

Lunch Lady Brownies Recipe
Lunch lady brownies are so good! brownie recipes #recipes
Liz Nieman
Liz Nieman

Liz is a just a mom trying to keep it real about how little she sleeps, how often she gets puked on and how much she loves them. You can find her here every day writing about real-mom moments.

loveandmarriageblog.com

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By Liz Nieman

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  1. Betty says

    May 21, 2020 at 6:37 am

    Have you made these? Horrible. We threw the entire batch out. I love chocolate but these were totally bland. YCK!

    Reply
    • Liz Nieman says

      May 21, 2020 at 10:17 am

      5 stars
      Of course we’ve made them. I’m wondering if you used a different recipe because you could never call these bland. If anything, they’re too sweet! You may give it another shot with this recipe.

      Reply
      • Fatima says

        February 18, 2021 at 9:02 am

        Worst recipe,dry ,hard.just a waste

        Reply
  2. Rose Grant says

    May 22, 2020 at 11:21 am

    Does this rcipe tale baking powder or baking soda,if not what makes them raise

    Reply
    • Linda says

      May 22, 2020 at 8:27 pm

      I just took this out of the oven and I believe the eggs are what makes it raise. It’s a true brownie, not a cake.

      Reply
    • Liz Nieman says

      May 31, 2020 at 9:13 pm

      Linda is right, it’s the eggs.

      Reply
  3. Jen says

    May 24, 2020 at 11:28 am

    Melt the butter for the frosting? Or cream?

    Reply
  4. Penney Wilfort says

    May 25, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    5 stars
    Just made it, it is great, Thank you
    Penney

    Reply
  5. Amy Stein says

    May 31, 2020 at 10:33 am

    The melted butter is with the brownie recipe and the other butter is for the frosting. I’d say the butter for the frosting should be room tempreture.

    Reply
  6. Daniella acosta says

    June 30, 2020 at 12:25 pm

    5 stars
    Ooooo yes!!!! I was craving these, and I love brownies that aren’t tooo chocolatey and these are PERFECT! I searched and searched for the perfect recipe and decided on yours, I halved it because my pan was smaller and oh my did they turn out perfect!! Thank you!!! Brought my mom back to her childhood.

    Reply
  7. Allison Yates says

    December 11, 2020 at 11:40 am

    5 stars
    I followed your recipe exactly and the brownies came out perfect! Thank you for the simple and delicious recipe!

    Reply
  8. Tamara says

    January 21, 2021 at 11:23 am

    1 star
    Wanted to love these. Not chocolately enough, too much vanilla and way too cloyingly sweet. Not a repeat for me

    Reply
    • Krystle Chesser says

      April 4, 2023 at 5:21 pm

      Anyone complaining about the taste of the brownies simply don’t understand the nostalgia. If you’re looking for an ooey gooey brownie this isn’t the recipe you need. These brownies are excellent and exactly the recipe I was looking for. A few tips. Wait until the brownies are practically cool before icing (use common sense hot brownies + butter = a big mess)
      The batter will be thick! You will have to spread it. These brownies are not going to rise much and that’s what you’re looking for. Thank you for sharing this recipe 😉

      Reply
  9. Barbara says

    January 23, 2021 at 11:35 am

    These are the best. Thank you very much.

    Reply
  10. Shauntel Mazac says

    April 1, 2021 at 3:59 pm

    1 star
    I really had high hopes for this recipe. I followed it to the T. These brownies had the weirdest consistency, hard and dry. They were sweet but not fudgey enough. The frosting was really good though, just didn’t like the brownie part.

    Reply
  11. Lesa sears says

    May 1, 2021 at 2:34 pm

    Oh my goodness I never done much baking have tried many times and failed but I have learned how to make these brownies and they are so amazing I can’t believe I made something so rich and good thank you

    Reply
  12. Amy says

    May 27, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    Overall these are pretty good. There is something about the brownie that’s off for me but the frosting is to die for. My son on the other hand absolutely loved these brownies and I have promised to make them again. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  13. Rhonda says

    September 10, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    Any adjustments for using a glass pan?

    Reply
  14. Patricia Valestin says

    October 26, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    1 star
    I followed the directions 100% – these brownies even with the icing are not edible – they were beyond dry. There is no main ingredient that would make them “fudgy” at all. Very disappointed that I now don’t have a dessert for the family.

    Reply
  15. Jessica says

    November 20, 2021 at 10:18 pm

    1 star
    These absolutely did not turn out. Followed the recipe exactly, waited till they were mostly cool to frost, and they were still liquid. Baked for another 20 minutes but that ruined the frosting so the entire pan went in the trash. Hard pass for me.

    Reply
  16. Lori says

    January 30, 2022 at 8:15 pm

    5 stars
    These were a HUGE hit for my family. They kept saying “Wow” with every bite. A winner for sure!!

    Reply
  17. Luisa says

    February 27, 2022 at 4:21 pm

    1 star
    The dough is NOT “pourable.” It was so thick and dry I had a hard time spreading dough in pan!! I have a feeling they will bake up flat and dry. Disappointed.

    Reply
  18. Kari says

    March 9, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness! These were so so good, super moist and so full of sweet chocolate. Followed the directions and they turned out perfect. Definitely printed it out and my new go to brownie recipe..thank you!

    Reply
    • Doreen says

      March 9, 2022 at 9:34 pm

      Do you have the receipt for the fudge useing the cocoa powder?

      Reply
  19. Lynn says

    March 12, 2022 at 1:45 pm

    I just frosted my first batch of brownies and put them in the refrigerator to cool completely. Just wasn’t sure if you cover them while in the refrigerator??? Thanks for any input.Lynn

    Reply
  20. Cindy says

    March 12, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    1 star
    Had to give 1 star so I could comment. Horrible! It must be missing an ingredient or something! Dry, bland and disappointing.

    Reply
  21. Kris says

    March 13, 2022 at 6:12 pm

    5 stars
    Not understanding the bad reviews, these were delicious and just like the ones we had in school. They were moist and easy to make ! We made pizza burgers just like we had in school for dinner and this was dessert! Thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply
  22. Donna M. Smith says

    March 16, 2022 at 10:38 am

    5 stars
    I added a handful of dried cherries to my batter and it was outstanding.

    Reply
  23. Cheryl Previtte says

    April 9, 2022 at 11:39 am

    So good!! Couldn’t wait for them to cool! Tipped with salted caramel ice cream! Heaven!!

    Reply
  24. Cheryl Previtte says

    April 9, 2022 at 11:43 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! Couldn’t wait for them to cool, topped with salted caramel ice cream!! Heaven!

    Reply
  25. Barbara Ford says

    June 5, 2022 at 4:33 pm

    Terrible. Wish I had read the reviews. Made exactly by recipe. Worst ever, throwing in the trash.

    Reply
  26. Christine Thurtell says

    June 11, 2022 at 9:54 am

    These brownies are delicious. They were approved 100% by my 5 year old grandson!!

    Reply
  27. Lisa says

    July 1, 2022 at 1:56 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Liz. I cut the sugar to 1 1/2 cups, added a half tsp of salt. They are so easy and delicious! I make half the amount of frosting. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply
  28. Renee says

    October 1, 2022 at 3:14 pm

    5 stars
    I have these in the oven at the moment so I can’t leave a realistic review other than, wow, the batter tastes just like what I need in my life right now 🙂 Death by chocolate, yum.

    Reply
  29. Sheryl says

    November 27, 2022 at 6:54 am

    Very confusing on ingredients on frosting. Directions say melt 2 sticks of butter but it says 1 cup of butter. Does it mean 2 sticks is 1 cup…
    Would be nice if more dirrct

    Reply
    • Kirk says

      March 13, 2023 at 10:51 am

      Isn’t 2 sticks 2 cups when u only need 1 1/4 total. Her recipe makes no sense

      Reply
      • Lisa says

        May 13, 2023 at 2:00 pm

        One stick of butter equals 1/2 cup
        Two sticks of butter = 1 c.

        Reply
  30. BeeGee says

    November 27, 2022 at 11:05 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe. They taste like a better version of a cosmic fudge brownie. If you did the brownies right they are perfect. I used a glass pan 9×13 it was delicious.

    Reply
  31. Veronica says

    December 19, 2022 at 7:46 pm

    Since the batter was so dry I added boiling water, they came out great with the addition.

    Reply
  32. Annette Kreamer says

    January 20, 2023 at 11:07 am

    5 stars
    I want your Recipe please that look so Good.

    Reply
  33. Judy says

    February 12, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    3 stars
    The brownie was very dry and the batter was so thick you could hardly spread it out. The frosting was delicious. Will not make again.

    Reply
  34. Nancy Nelson says

    February 18, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe many times, everyone just loves them. Some call them,”Candy bars”

    Reply
  35. Kirk says

    March 13, 2023 at 10:49 am

    Why two melted sticks of butter when it calls for 1 1/4

    Reply
  36. basketball stars says

    April 3, 2023 at 10:58 pm

    5 stars
    I am very impressed with the taste that this cake brings. I tried and succeeded, but I changed the recipe a bit when I reduced the sweetness and increased the bitterness for the cake.

    Reply
  37. Beth says

    April 7, 2023 at 7:20 am

    5 stars
    Perfect brownies! Easy recipe and they came out delicious. My whole family fell in love with them and asks for them constantly. No boxed brownies ever again.

    Reply
  38. Teri Millard says

    May 10, 2023 at 2:41 pm

    3 stars
    There is nothing to pour into the pan. It was like one big lump that needed to be spread out.

    Reply
  39. kiricowell says

    June 26, 2023 at 10:57 pm

    This article is very good. I think this is one of the best posts that has ever been written. Your work is great and gives me ideas. Thank you very much age of war game

    Reply
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