Gooey, chocolatey, and frosted with the best brownie icing, Iced Lunch Lady Brownies are a nostalgic treat for kids and adults alike!
I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth, no joke. I love a good classic dessert recipe whether it’s a delicious rice pudding or a homemade brownie recipe. This Iced Lunch Lady Brownie recipe has quickly become a classic recipe in our house.
These brownies are chewy, chocolatey perfection, and the brownie icing on top is the literal icing on the cake. I’ll be serving up these treats to anyone and everyone who will try them!
ICED LUNCH LADY BROWNIES
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One of the latest crazes on Pinterest has been recipes for chocolatey, delicious iced brownies called “Lunch Lady Brownies.” I have no idea what the lunch ladies at YOUR school were serving, but for my school lunch, it wasn’t these delicious treats.
I am a BIG fan of brownies. So when I saw this trend going around the internet, I knew that I just had to take a stab at my own version of these fudgy brownies. I am SO glad that I did because this recipe is for sure the best lunch lady brownies I’ve had! And I have tested out soooo many recipes.
Now when craving brownies, most people would just reach for a box, mix it up and call it a day. But, believe me when I say, homemade brownies are absolutely worth the slight amount of extra effort. This easy brownie recipe takes simple ingredients and turns them into an incredibly decadent dessert.
If your school cafeteria made these lunch lady brownies then I can’t even imagine how good the rest of the food you ate for lunch was. Elementary school me is SUPER jealous of elementary school you!
Ingredients for Lunch Lady Brownies
Brownies – When making homemade brownies, the quality of the chocolate you use makes a big difference. I prefer to use a semi-sweet chocolate bar melted down in the microwave rather than chocolate chips. I find that the texture of the melted chocolate is smoother which makes for the perfectly delectable fudgy brownies.
Brownie Icing – The thing that makes these lunch lady brownies different than your average brownie is the chocolate icing layered on top of them. You just need a few simple ingredients (that you most likely already have at home!) like milk, butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla. With these pantry staples, you can make your own chocolate frosting that elevates this dessert from good to mouthwatering!
How to Make Lunch Lady Brownies
Put down that box of store-bought brownie mix. I promise you, making homemade brownies is SO easy and they come out amazing. Here’s how you make the best lunch lady brownies:
- Before you start mixing up your brownies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then grease the inside of a 9×13 baking dish with non-sticks cooking spray. Set aside the pan for now.
- You have to start by melting down your semi-sweet chocolate. You can do this one of two ways, just make sure you’re stirring your chocolate frequently to keep it smooth!
Option 1) melt chocolate & butter together in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each heating.
Option 2) You can use a double boiler on the stovetop. - Once the chocolate and butter are all melted, transfer it to a bowl and mix in the sugars.
- Next, add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix it all up! The batter will be thick and luscious!
- In another bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- After everything is mixed up, pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Once baked, remove your lunch lady brownies from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack in the pan. Once cooled a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
- While you’re waiting for your fudgy brownies to cool, you can get working on your brownie icing! The perfect brownie icing is as simple as mixing together all of the icing ingredients in a bowl until they’re smooth and creamy.
- Once the brownies are cool, spread your icing over brownies and let them rest until icing sets.
What Goes Good On Brownies?
While this lunch lady brownie recipe is perfection all on its own, you can totally make it unique by adding a little something extra no top! Try out some of these toppings ideas for your lunch lady brownies:
Heath Toffee – Heath crumbles add a sweet, rich crunch to the top of your brownies and it elevates this delicious dessert even higher!
Sprinkles – If you’re looking to simply make your lunch lady brownies more festive, go ahead and throw on some colorful sprinkles. They end up looking like those yummy Cosmic Brownies from back in the 90s!
Nuts – So many brownie recipes call for adding nuts to the batter. But why not plop them right on top of your brownie icing?! Walnuts are a brownie classic. Pistachios on brownies are delicious. The classic combo of peanuts and chocolate is perfection!
Peanut Butter – If you want to get really crazy, spread a layer of creamy or crunchy peanut butter over the brownies before topping them with the icing. It’s a secret surprise for the chocolate/peanut butter lover in your life.
Do You Frost Brownies Before Cutting?
Whenever I’m making lunch lady brownies, I always frost the brownies before I cut them. The main reason I do this is simply out of convenience!
I’d rather keep any icing mess in the pan. It takes so much less time than frosting each individual brownie. I’m not one to worry about nice clean lines when cutting my brownies anyway.
However, if you don’t want to frost the entire batch of brownies, you can absolutely frost your brownies after cutting them!
Looking for some more drool-worthy chocolatey desserts? Check out these other Real Housemoms recipes!
- Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Nutty Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Rocky Road Clusters
- No-bake S’mores Cheesecake Bars
- Heirloom Chocolate Cream Pie
- more DESSERT recipes…
Tools used to make this Iced Lunch Lady Brownies recipe
Microwave-Safe Bowl: I use this glass mixing bowl for everything from salads to melting chocolate in the microwave. It’s super versatile!
9×13 Glass Dish: A great glass baking dish is super useful and I’m a firm believer that every kitchen should have one!
Ingredients
Brownies
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bar chopped
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Icing
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 9-inch x-13inch baking dish and set aside.
- Melt chocolate & butter together in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each heating. (Or you can use a double boiler on the stovetop.)
- Transfer chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. Beat in sugar and brown sugar,
- Add eggs and vanilla to the bowl and mix until combined. Scrape the side of the bowl as needed.
- Mix flour, cocoa powder, and salt in another mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 mins.
- Remove brownies from the oven. Cool in the dish on a wire rack until room temperature.
- Mix together icing ingredients until smooth and fluffy. Spread over brownies in an even layer. Let rest until icing sets, and then cut into 12 brownies.
Beth Grimm says
I have searched for years for a go to brownie recipe. These have such a great fudge texture and a true brownie taste….not cake not fudge …a brownie!! I have always used the buttercream frosting on my brownies which i dont think can be beat. Congratulations on one of the best brownies i have ever tasted. I think the combination of bar semi sweet chocolate and cocoa and using 1/2 brown sugar really makes them special. This recipe is a keeper!
Jenn says
This is by far the best brownie recipe. I don’t make the frosting. But this is my go to recipe now.
skathy tock says
LOVE YOUR SITE !
Shouldn’t there be cocoa powder in the frosting ?
Real Housemoms JK says
Yes, there is coco powder in the frosting.
Gin S says
She’s right no cocoa listed in icing ingredients.
Real Housemoms JK says
Sorry Gin! This is fixed now. Thanks for letting us know.