Miss Maudene’s Brownies with Honey Icing

How is everyone doing? Things have been hoppin’ at our house all week long but things have finally slowed down because it is Sunday afternoon. Top Girl, SIL, and Rocket are on their way to a family birthday party and Mr. Picky Eater is about to take a long nap after spending a few hours constructing and painting a kitchen stand like mine for my mother. She needs it for when Rocket stays at her house so he can “help” her in the kitchen too. You remember the kitchen stand made from wooden TV trays, right?

Yesterday was the first home game for the University of Oklahoma and the town was filled to capacity early. I drove over to the store at 6AM thinking I could get groceries and back home before anyone was up. How wrong I was! The parking lot was more than half full with more cars behind me coming in. I got back home at nearly 8:30, but at least it was done. As we were bringing in the bags from the car one of us tripped on something in the garage making a book I had purchased at a yard sale fall into the floor stringing several pictures and recipe cards across the floor. I didn’t know they were there and enjoyed seeing the picture of someone’s train birthday cake that I may try for Rocket’s next birthday like that little Blue Train Guy he watches on PBS. I picked up the recipe cards and saw Miss Maudene’s Brownies with Honey Icing. I loved the charm of Miss Maudene’s name along with the notes on the back of the carefully written card about Miss Maudene: 1. Spinster, 2. Church Pianist, 3. Dog named Betty Sue, 4. Likes anything yellow, especially flowers, 5. Favorite Bible Passage is Psalms 119 (* really this: Song of Solomon 8:5-7). About the recipe: Ingredients may be doubled with good results.

It’s been many years since I went to church but as a child I was there three times a week plus every third Thursday evening for potluck and fellowship (I just found that cookbook and will be sharing recipes all winter!) so I know a thing or two about Bible verses and certainly about Song of Solomon which I found much more interesting than most of the other books. I fell in love with Miss Maudene right away – and who wouldn’t? A spinster whose favorite verses were those? Miss Maudene had quite a store to tell, now didn’t she? If you are unfamiliar – those three verses are about the kind of love between two people that burns like a house afire. I bet Miss Maudene would like Sons of Anarchy and Justified too, but she would never tell a soul about it! So, I knew I had to make her brownies which turned out to be just as fabulous as I know she was, or is.

Miss Maudene’s Brownies with Honey Icing

Ingredients:

½ Cup Butter (one stick)
1 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
½ Cup Flour
2 eggs slightly beaten – if doubling recipe use 3 eggs.
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt* If doubling recipe – do not double salt.

For icing:

3 Tablespoons softened butter
3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F and spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray.
In a saucepan, melt butter then set off burner and allow to cool a few minutes.
By hand, stir in sugar and vanilla.
Add cocoa then the beaten egg stirring only enough to mix in.
Finally, add the flour, salt, and baking powder – once again stirring only enough to mix together.
Place in oven for 20 – 30 minutes depending on your oven but do not over bake.
Take the pan out of oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes while stir together the icing ingredients.
Spread over warm brownies and then put in fridge for about 30 minutes so icing will set.

**Notes from Kelli: You will notice I did not ice the brownies. Top Girl and Mr. Picky Eater do not care for brownies with “stuff on top” so I did not make it but listed it here so you can if you like – it’s great without it! Also, I made mine in a 9×9 pan making them come out a little thin so I will definitely double the recipe next time for the 9×9 pan.**
Enjoy!