Gluten Free Lunch Lady Brownies



photo taken by Madeline L.

I love this recipe so much! My sister in law -who worked with the lunch lady in this story- gave me this recipe to me more than 30 years ago and since then, I have made it for my children over and over again. Unfortunately, two of my children were diagnosed with Celiacs disease years ago which left me with no choice but to make many of my favorite recipes gluten free.

So, I took this recipe right from this blog (pictures and all) to provide a gluten free version for all of those that have an intolerance to gluten or choose to eat a gluten free diet by choice.

The Lunch Lady Story:
As my daughter Madeline tells it, this brownie recipe is no ordinary recipe, because it has been in our family for years. Yes, many brownie recipes today share similarities, but this recipe is special because it means so much to us. The recipe was made in a local Jr. high school cafeteria years before I even taught school there. No one knows where the recipe originated from, but it had been in the making for over 50 years. In a small town in Idaho, you can imagine how these lunch lady brownies became so popular that they were entered in local bake sales and fund raisers.

As it goes, this recipe is a piece of history. It has brought people together and is meant to be shared. Most people say it comes out like cake, while many say fudge. Either way, it is warm  chewy creation that keeps my family coming back for more.

If you would like the original recipe for Lunch Lady Brownies Click Here.

Recipe for Gluten Free
Bonneville Jr. High school Brownies:

Ingredients:
1 cup of Butter (I use unsalted)

1/2 cup of Cocoa
1 1/2 cups of Brown Rice Flour
1/4 cup of Tapioca Flour (or Tapioca Starch)
1/4 cup of Potato Starch (not Potato Flour)
1 Tablespoon of Xanthan Gum
2 cups of Sugar
4 Eggs

4 teaspoons of Vanilla

1 cup of Chopped Nuts (optional)

Directions:

I melt my butter in the microwave and pour into my mixer, then I add cocoa and mix together until smooth.

Then I add all the flours, starches, and Xanthan Gum, and sugar. Beat together and then add eggs, vanilla, and nuts. Mix until combined. Do not over stir.

Pour into greased, floured  9x13 baking pan*. 

* An additional part of this recipe said that if you want to double the recipe, use a large baking sheet.

Additional Note * This batter will be runny like a cake mix. But, you may have to spread it out over your pan with a rubber spatula still. 

Since I have an older oven, I find I have to bake mine for up to 30 minutes. Don't over bake these those, check them at 20 minutes.
Bake in a pre-heated oven @ 350 degrees.  

Wait only about 10 minutes to frost brownies.

Frost them while they are warm (not hot). Wait for them to cool some more and they enjoy them with milk or ice cream.

The Chocolate Icing Recipe:

To make while the brownies bake

1/4 cup of softened Butter

1/4 cup of canned Milk (regular milk is fine)

1/4 cup of Cocoa

3 cups of Powdered Sugar

Dash of Salt

Mix all together and frost as desired.

Suggestions:

You can also make these into Marshmallow brownies by putting marshmallow all over the top when there is 5 minutes left to bake them, and then wait for them to cool, and frost over the marshmallows.

I also like to add mint to the batter and/or to the frosting for a mint flavor.