I love to feed a crowd! I had the opportunity last week end when our home school group got together for an informal potluck and time of fellowship. Since I had a partial package of Valentine’s M & M’s hidden in the freezer, I decided to make a frosted brownie and use them to decorate. ( I know it was a sacrifice, but what’s a mom to do!)

This recipe was given to me years ago when I was student teaching in Kansas City. It’s a classic that I use again and again. Although it isn’t as fudgy as some brownies, the buttermilk gives it a very rich cake-like texture that’s always a huge hit!

Chocolate Sheet Cake Brownies
(or Buttermilk Brownies)

Combine: 2 cups flour, 2 cups of sugar, 1/2 tsp. of salt. Set aside.

Combine: 2 stick margarine, 1 cup water and 1/2 cup cocoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the flour mixture. Add 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. soda, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix together.

Pour into a greased sheet cake pan and bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. (I used a 17″ x 12″ pan.)

Remove from oven and immediately frost with buttermilk frosting.

Buttermilk Frosting

Combine: 1 stick margarine, 1/4 c. cocoa, 1/3 cup buttermilk in sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp. of vanilla and a dash of salt. Pour over warm brownies.

I added a handful or so of the chocolate raspberry chips to the brownie batter for added flavor. You can substitute regular milk for the buttermilk in the frosting, it will still taste great.

The brownies disappeared quickly at the potluck; but the M & M’s on top disappeared even faster! That is until we caught a couple of 2 year olds carefully removing them from the brownies and eating them! But this chocolate lady didn’t mind. I just wish I was young enough and cute enough to get away with it, too!