Aunt Gen’s Brownies
My Aunt Gen was an excellent cook and baker extraordinaire. I grew up on her delicious brownies which were the only ones I ever ate until I hit my teens. They’re almost like a blonde brownie but not quite, and they taste different from any other brownie I’ve ever had. If you were to see a plate of these nondescript brownies on a dessert table, you’d likely pass them by. That, my foodie friends, would be a mistake.
This is not your usual brownie as it’s more cakelike than fudgy. In fact, it’s just barely chocolate-y and more like a blonde brownie except it’s not (if that makes sense). Although cakelike, it does have a traditional crackly top. As I said, these brownies do not taste like any other brownie I’ve ever eaten; and I’ve eaten a lot of brownies. It would be boring if they did as there are more fudgy brownie recipes out there than you can count. I’ve got several here on my blog if that’s the way you roll—Palmer House brownies, refrigerator bakery brownies, chocolate stout brownies, cosmic brownies, Guinness brownies with salted espresso frosting, cheesecake-marbled brownies, and cappuccino brownies to name a few (lol).
Interestingly, one day Aunt Gen didn’t have enough butter for the recipe, so she used Crisco to make up the difference. As it turned out, she liked the result better than using all butter and made it that way from then on. These days, it’s not often that I see a baking recipe that calls for Crisco solid shortening. Whenever I do, I substitute butter for the Crisco. In this case, after eating and enjoying Aunt Gen’s brownies for more decades than I’d like to admit, I make an exception and use the Crisco. My taste buds would never forgive me if I deviated from my aunt’s recipe but feel free to switch to all butter if you like. I actually did make them with all butter once, and they were still really good.
My sisters and multiple cousins had many opportunities to enjoy our Aunt Gen’s brownies—and now you do, too. I especially wanted to post the recipe for all of them as it’s a family favorite, and I doubt this exact recipe can be found anywhere else. Enjoy…
Aunt Gen’s Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Crisco*
- 2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
*If you choose not to use the Crisco, you will need to increase the butter to two sticks.
Directions
Grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Melt butter, Crisco (if using—if not, increase butter to two sticks), and chocolate together. Set aside and let cool to lukewarm or room temperature.
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the eggs. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Next, add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat well to incorporate ingredients. Add vanilla, followed by the whisked dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in walnuts.
Spread the thick batter in prepared pan and bake at 350o F for approx. 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick test comes up with a few tender crumbs clinging.
Source: One of the many wonderful recipes from my Aunt Gen