If you’ve been searching for the best brownie recipe, these Lunch Lady Brownies are it. These brownies are rich, chewy, and unapologetically fudgy! The kind with crackly tops that melts in the middle. Made with simple pantry staples and a silky cocoa frosting, they taste like the brownies your grandma should’ve made.

No fancy tricks, no boxed mix, just pure, old-school chocolate perfection.

Lunch Lady Brownies are moist, full of chocolate flavor, and feed a crowd! My roommate taught me the power of brownies with frosting, and they totally remind me of the ones I had as a kid that the lunch ladies served in elementary school, but this homemade version is better, thanks to one secret! These are rich and fudgy brownies, not crumby and cakey brownies.

Ingredients For Lunch Lady Brownies

Cake

• Unsweetened Cocoa: Adds deep chocolate flavor
• Butter, melted: Makes the brownies rich and fudgy
• All Purpose Flour: Provides structure
• Salt: Balances sweetness. The secret!
• Sugar: Sweetness that caramelizes beautifully
• Eggs, large: Adds richness and helps set the brownies
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances chocolate flavor

Frosting

• Evaporated Milk: Makes frosting creamy and smooth
• Butter, softened: Adds richness and fluff
• Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting
• Unsweetened Cocoa: Intensifies chocolate punch

These ingredients come together to make the ultimate fudgy brownies topped with rich, chocolate frosting.

How to Make Lunch Lady Brownies

If you’ve been searching for the best brownie recipe, this is it. We’re talking a thick, fudgy texture that comes together fast and tastes like they’re straight from a bakery. No fancy steps, no waiting overnight, just pure, chocolatey, from scratch bliss in under an hour.

1. Preheat: Set oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13&n

Homemade Box Brownies

Everybody loves brownies! Am I right?! These homemade box brownies are fudgy and chewy with that crackling on top that just screams brownie. I’ve been working on this recipe for a while and I’ve finally nailed it!

Brownies, ugh, the nightmare of homemade brownies! They are so tricky to get just right! Our oven is not cooking evenly which I can manage 90% of the time but brownies are really tricky. Add on top that I’m obsessed with a crinkle top and these brownies have taken years to develop! They are Cade’s favorite dessert next to or equal to ice cream so the need to find perfection was big! And these are perfection!

These brownies are easy and fudgy and made totally from scratch! I’m not going to lie, the Ghirardelli brownies boxed mix that you can buy at Costco are my go-to when I’m in a rush, but this homemade brownie recipe rivals those Ghirardelli box brownies! There’s just something about homemade that feels and tastes so much better!

Ingredients for Homemade Box Brownies

There are some ingredients that are an absolute must for the best brownies. For a crinkle top and best flavor you have to use cocoa powder and chopped chocolate or chocolate chips. You also must use oil and butter. Here is a complete list of everything you need:

• Butter: use unsalted butter to control the salt in the brownies and you want it melted to get the right texture and the crackly shiny top on the brownies
• Vegetable Oil: helps the brownies be moist and fudgy
• Sugar: adds sweetness and balances the bitterness of the cocoa powder
• Brown Sugar: adds more sweetness and richness in flavor
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: adds all the chocolate flavor
• Eggs: adds structure to the brownies
• Vanilla Extract: adds flavor
• Espresso Powder: found in the baking section and is used to enhance the chocolate flavor. It can be skipped if you absolutely cannot find it or substitute with instant coffee.
• Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Flour: just regular all-purpose flour is all you need
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: adds texture and more chocolate flavor

The measurements for all these ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Box Brownies at Home

These fudgy brownies are made in just about 30 minutes and they taste even better than your favorite boxed brownies. Here are the steps for making them:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×9 baking pan with foil (or parchment paper) and then cooking spray.
2. Stir: Combine the melted butter, oil, sugar, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well combine and shiny.
3. Whisk: In a small bowl, add the eggs and whisk until pale yellow. Add in the vanilla, espresso powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixtu