Buttermilk Brownies With Buttermilk Frosting

I had some leftover buttermilk from making my daughter's birthday cake this past weekend so I started flipping through my cookbooks looking for a good recipe to use it up. I found these Buttermilk Brownies in by Better Homes and Gardens 15th Edition cookbook. This is a cake-like brownie and incredibly delicious! Enjoy :)

For the Brownies

• 2
  cups all-purpose flour
• 2
  cups sugar
• 1
  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4
  teaspoon salt
• 1
  cup water
• 1
  cup butter
• 1/3
  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2
  eggs
• 1/2
  cup buttermilk or sour milk
• 1 1/2
  teaspoons vanilla

  1

  recipe Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting (see recipe below)

  
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15x10x1-inch or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  
  In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and cocoa powder. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa mixture to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
  
  In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and cocoa powder. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa mixture to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
  
  Pour warm Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting over the warm brownies, spreading evenly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 24 brownies.

For the  Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting

• • 1/4
    cup butter
  • 3
    tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3
    tablespoons buttermilk or sour milk
  • 2 1/4
    cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2
    teaspoon vanilla
  • 
    
• • 
    
• • 3/4
    cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional - I left them out this time)
    
    
    In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder, and buttermilk. Bring mixture to boiling. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. If desired, stir in pecans.
    
    
    
    Waiting 60 minutes for these to cool was torture but worth the wait. If you ever find yourself with a little leftover Buttermilk consider making these!
    
    
    
    
    
    Recipe from BHG 15th Edition Red Plaid Cookbook or find it online here 
    
    
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/brownies/buttermilk-brownies/
• 
  
  
  

Voted The Best Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe!

http://www.blueberry-recipe.com/best-blueberry-coffee-cake-recipe.html

CAKE INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries


ICING:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3-5 tsp. milk 

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 375. Grease a 13x9 inch pan. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon peel. Using pastry blender or fork, cut in butter. Add milk, eggs and vanilla. Stir well. Pour 3/4 batter into greased pan.

Top with blueberries. Spoon remaining batter over blueberries. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. In small bowl , blend icing ingredients. Drizzle over warm cake.


**MY NOTES** I like a streusel topping on my coffee cakes so if I make this again I would skip the icing (which is super sweet) and make a streusel topping with a lot of cinnamon!

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 c. mashed bananas
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cream cheese, sugar and butter mixing well. Blend in bananas and eggs. Add remaining ingredients; mix well until moistened. Pour in greased and floured 9x5 loaf pan. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.

Source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,194,149185-243207,00.html

*Notes - I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and omitted the nuts when I made this.