This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Lunch lady brownies are one of those classic moist, fudgy, and incredibly delicious desserts that works every time. The flavor that you know and love in a brownie.

You know how much we like old fashioned recipes, right? A few years ago we focused on old recipes that were popular in your school lunchrooms. We made Frito Pie and Spring Garden Special based on your requests. And we shared my favorite lunch lady recipe: Peanut Butter Squares.

Although we grew up with powdered sugar brownies, many of you requested the much loved school lunch lady brownies with chocolate frosting. Look familiar?

What are lunch lady brownies?

As the story goes, over 50 years ago, a lunch lady in Idaho developed the most perfect brownie recipe that she entered in to contests and sold to raise money for fundraisers. Apparently these have been served in elementary schools all across the country back in the day.

They are dense, moist, and have the most incredible chocolate frosting. I made some slight adjustments to the recipe to give them a little bit more depth of flavor like adding espresso powder and salt, but this is very similar to the classic lunch lady brownie recipe.

Ingredients for Brownies

Butter: I used salted butter for this recipe because these brownies tend to be very sweet and the salted butter cuts through some of that sweetness. If you use unsalted butter just add a pinch of salt to your batter.
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Cocoa powder: I used regular unsweetened cocoa powder for these brownies, but if you would like to use Dutch processed cocoa powder you can use that.
All-purpose flour
Salt
Espresso powder: The espresso powder is an entirely optional ingredient. It will not make your brownies taste like coffee. It simply adds an extra depth of flavor to your brownies.
Milk
Powdered sugar

Tips for Making Lunch Lady Brownies

There’s no need to mix dry ingredients separately from wet ingredients. However you want to be sure not to overmix the batter.
If you line the baking pan with parchment paper, it is easy to pull up on that paper after baking and remove the brownies from the pan. Then you can get nice clean cuts.
The frosting will go on the brownies best when they are warmed. The frosting will melt in slightly and cover the brownies beautifully.

Can I add anything to my brownies?

Although these brownies are absolutely delicious on their own, you can certainly add in additions to the batter. Feel free to throw in some chopped chocolate chunks or chocolate chips.

These also taste amazing with either walnuts or pecans. I recommend adding either ¾- 1 cup of whatever addition you choose to use, just make sure that you are not over mixing your batter.

How do I store lunch lady brownies?

You can store these brownies at room temperature for up to one week. These also freeze very well. They can be frozen for up to three months for best quality.

Lunch Lady Brownies

5 from 2 votes

Lunch lady brownies are one of those classic moist, fudgy, and incredibly delicious desserts that works every time. The flavor that you know and love in a brownie.

Servings 12

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients

Brownies:

1 cup salted butter melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder optional

Chocolate Frosting:

¼ cup butter softened
¼ cup milk
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoons salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Begin by preparing brownie mixture by creaming together melted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy for 1-2 minutes.
Whisk in eggs and vanilla extract.
Stir in cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, and salt. Don’t overmix.
Pour batter into a greased or parchment lined 9×13 inch pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Take out brownies and let them stand for 10 minutes while you prepare frosting (note: the frosting goes on best when the brownies are still warm).
Prepare chocolate frosting by beating all the ingredients together until smooth. Add in 1-2 teaspoons extra milk for a thinner frosting.
Pour frosting over warm brownies and cool completely before cutting and serving.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the brownies being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 frosted brownie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**