Brownie Challenge Recipe #1 -- Hershey's Best Brownies

Confession: I love boxed brownies. I am ashamed to admit it, but I have yet to find a from-scratch recipe that, in my opinion, compares to boxed brownies. And oh, how I've tried! So, I've set out to complete the Brownie Challenge -- I WILL find the perfect fudgy brownie recipe. Thanks to the ladies on The Nest WC Board, I have my first five recipes. I let DH choose the first one to try, and of course he chose the only one with frosting, Hershey's Best Brownies.



These brownies were good, but they are not "it." They had the texture of a crumbly chocolate cake, not a dense fudgy brownie. They would be fantastic with ice cream, but not exactly what I'm looking for. I will say that they were quick and easy to make and used ingredients I always have on hand. I give them 3 out of 5 stars.

Hershey's Best Brownies

• 1/2 C (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 1 C sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/3 C Hershey's Cocoa
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 C chopped nuts (optional) (I left these out)
• Creamy Brownie Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare Creamy Brownie Frosting; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies (Umm, the way we cut them, this made six brownies. If you cut them into sixteenths, they would be TINY).

Creamy Brownie Frosting

• 3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
• 3 Tbsp. Hershey's Cocoa
• 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup or honey
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 C powdered milk
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. milk

1. Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup (or honey), and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 C frosting.