From the Pantry Shelves: Homemade Brownie Mix

 

I long ago determined that my beloved and delicious brownie recipe was costly to make.  It didn't take a genius to figure that one out: two sticks of butter, four eggs...and that only made an 8 inch pan.   I decided that it would be a rare treat and we'd let mixes suffice. I could buy a decent mix at Aldi for 85c a box.   Yes, I still had to add eggs and oil, but even so it was a decent price compared to my homemade version.   But I missed the flavor of homemade brownies.   And honestly...a store bought mix is never going to taste as good as homemade.   There are too many chemicals added in to preserve the ingredients and inhibit mold growth.

A few years ago, I stumbled upon a Brownie mix recipe in one of my 1950's September issues of Woman's Day and I jotted it down on paper, shoved it in my recipe files and there it stayed until this past month when I decided to give it a try.

I had all the necessary ingredients in my pantry.  Some of them, like the powdered milk, I wanted to use up, so why not give it a try.  I figured at worst, we'd find it edible and at best we'd love it and want to repeat.   Price comparisons are more than the Aldi mix per box, but the taste is superior.   And overall it's less expensive than my original and much practiced homemade recipe that was so costly to make as it calls for less sugar and butter than I'd typically have had to use.

Homemade Brownie Mix from a 1950's Woman's Day magazine

Sift together:

1 1/4 cup non fat dry milk (or one packet if you have packets on hand instead of loose milk)

4 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cup dry powder cocoa

Store in an airtight jar on the pantry shelf.   I should think this would keep for a good 4 months and possibly longer as all the ingredients are shelf stable.   This makes about 10 cups of Brownie Mix or enough for four batches of Brownies.

To make brownies:

2 1/2 cups brownie mix

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Add to the dry ingredients gradually:

2 beaten eggs

3 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) melted butter

Blend well but do not overbeat.  Mixture will be thick but spreadable.   Spread in a greased 8 x8 pan.   Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.  (Original recipe says bake for 35-40 minutes but I found that to be too long.  Test and allow to cook longer if needed in your oven).   Cool.  Frost with buttercream chocolate frosting (also optional).   Makes 16 brownies.

Next time I make these I'll take a photo to add to this post, but I assure you that we've had them unfrosted, served plain as well as frosted and we enjoyed them both ways.