Lunch Girl Brownies – Barefeet within the Kitchen

Thick, chewy, fudgy brownies with beneficiant chocolate icing are attractive sufficient to have me consuming these Lunch Girl Brownies for dinner. 

This submit was initially revealed eight years in the past. I remade these brownies earlier this yr whereas interested by my buddy Joan. I reshot them on the time, figuring out that I needed to share this submit once more on the eighth anniversary of her passing.

Chocolate for Joan

My chocolate-loving buddy Joan would most undoubtedly approve of consuming brownies for dinner! This Lunch Lady Brownie recipe is certainly one of hers that has grow to be a household favourite for us as properly.

Joan handed away unexpectedly on October 22, 2015. Whereas crying and grieving the following day, I made a decision to bake in reminiscence of her. I spent that weekend making a lot of her favorites after which shared the sweets with pals.

Joan was captivated with her desserts and I think about that she would have gotten a kick out of being remembered with an abundance of chocolate.

Lunch Girl Brownies

You’ll want the next elements to make the brownies:

• butter
• cocoa
• mild brown sugar
• white sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour

Chocolate Frosting for Brownies

You’ll want the next elements to make the frosting:

• butter
• powdered sugar
• cocoa
• salt
• milk

Lunch Girl Brownies Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan or line with parchment paper. In a big mixing bowl, whisk collectively the butter, cocoa, brown sugar, and white sugar.

Add the eggs and the vanilla. Whisk once more till easy. Add the flour and stir till mixed.

Pour into the ready pan and use a spatula to unfold the thick batter to the corners. Bake for 22-24 minutes, till a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.

Brownie Frosting Recipe

Whereas the brownies are baking, make the frosting. In a mixing bowl, mix the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt.

Beat with an electrical mixer for 1-2 minutes, till mixed. The combination will likely be principally dry crumbs. Add the milk and beat once more for 1-2 minutes, till easy and creamy.

Take away the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool for only a few minutes. Gently unfold the frosting over the brownies whereas they’re nonetheless fairly heat. Let cool earlier than slicing.

To know Joan was to like her and snort along with her, she impacted numerous lives each single day. In her reminiscence, chocolate recipes have been shared around the internet.

My pals, encompass your self with individuals who convey you pleasure. Hug them tight. And eat some chocolate at the moment too, #chocolateforjoan.

recipe tailored from and with loving due to Chocolate, Chocolate and More

{initially revealed 10/28/15 – recipe notes up to date 10/22/23}

It hurts, pals. It hurts a lot. Shedding a buddy isn’t simple. It shouldn’t be. Mates impression our lives in numerous methods, and actually nice pals take a chunk of our coronary heart with them when they’re gone.

I’m a greater individual for having identified Joan Hayes. She was a beautiful buddy and she or he won’t be forgotten.

There are such a lot of reminiscences. The time Joan ordered ALL THE FOODS on the Snooze menu as a result of she couldn’t slim it down and needed to not less than style every thing. The instances she refused to eat a subpar dessert as a result of it wasn’t definitely worth the energy.

The numerous instances she laughed and mentioned that fruit isn’t dessert, chocolate is the one actual dessert. Laughing as she confidently requested a chef if he was certain there wasn’t one thing fabulous hiding within the kitchen that wasn’t on the menu after which watching in amazement on the tray of chocolate desserts that have been magically offered.

The evening she mentioned, “We should always simply keep up all evening, we’re midway there already.” Seven hours later, with blurry eyes and an aching facet from hours and hours of laughter, we dropped her off on the airport.

Joan was a grasp at making each second of life one of the best it might presumably be.

We walked up and down the seashore in St. Thomas, speaking about our children, and desires for the following few years, and the loopy world of running a blog. Joan referred to as this previous yr her “yr of journey.”

She met on-line pals in individual and made numerous new pals and reminiscences. I’m comfortable that so many people have been in a position to hug the neck of our candy buddy and get to know her in individual this yr, in addition to on-line.

The final time I noticed her was in Georgia whereas I used to be visiting my household there. She drove as much as Augusta, over 3 hours every manner, simply in order that we might spend just a few hours collectively. Not as a result of “I” was necessary, however as a result of relationships have been necessary to her.

Joan liked spending time with family and friends and she or he lived her life to the fullest. She was one of many least pretentious, friendliest, and completely actual individuals I’ve ever identified.

Wandering round Augusta, GA collectively, we browsed vintage shops on the lookout for previous silverware. Later we discovered a bakery to strive.

She candy talked the workers into pulling desserts out of the chilly case so she might {photograph} them by the window and bear in mind them to re-create the recipes at residence.

Ordering a slice of each single dessert in that bakery, so she might style every one. Laughing as we packed and took residence two procuring luggage stuffed with the remaining desserts to share with my household.

Joan was an indescribably beneficiant individual. She achieved nice success professionally and she or he shared her data, her phenomenal social media reach, her weblog’s visitors, each facet of her success was shared with others.

She believed with each little bit of her coronary heart that running a blog needs to be a part of a neighborhood and by no means a contest. She helped everybody she met and made everybody’s life higher simply by figuring out her.

Joan was essentially the most ready for dying individual I’ve ever identified. She needed to know that her youngsters could be taken care of it doesn’t matter what. She advised everybody to “put it in writing” and “ensure everybody is aware of your intentions.”

It breaks my coronary heart that her message to BE PREPARED turned out to be such sensible recommendation as a substitute of the hypothetical knowledge I might a lot quite it have been.

Her household was her world and she or he liked her children a lot that I ache for them proper now. Joan’s love of life, household, and chocolate was evident by her weblog, Chocolate, Chocolate, and More.

She created a chocolate-filled legacy for her household. Her dream was that her weblog would assist assist her household over the approaching years.

Joan died of an enormous coronary heart assault in the course of the evening. She was solely 49 years previous. She talked about a abdomen ache earlier than going to sleep, not recognizing this is without doubt one of the indicators of a doable impending occasion. (Many ladies suppose they’re getting the flu previous to a coronary heart assault.)

Please learn by these Heart Attack Symptoms and all the time get checked out if you happen to expertise any of those and share them along with your family and friends.