Can it really be the start of a New Year? That means my birthday is just around the corner. But before my birthday, it is my youngest child’s birthday. Since he was a little boy he has never been a cake person. On occasion he may take one bite of a cupcake or cake, but he will usually pass on these treats. When it’s his birthday, he will always request brownies. Nothing really beats my grandma’s brownie recipe. My mom says this is the recipe my grandma always made. We aren’t sure where the recipe originated, but it is unusual because it doesn’t have a leavening agent. This recipe is so simple to make and so decadent. It just melts in your mouth…I’m guessing it’s all that butter!
Besides our love of brownies, my son, my grandma and I are all Aquarians. This year would have marked my grandma’s 100th birthday! Unfortunately, she passed weeks before my son was born. When my son and I make his birthday brownies from my grandma’s recipe, we are all together in a way. I read a quote once, “A recipe is a magic trick: It makes the past live.”

Grandma’s Brownies
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1 ½ cups shortening or butter or combination of both
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
¾ cup cocoa
⅓ cup milk
2 cups flour
nuts – optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” x 13” pan.
Mix in the order given alternating with milk and flour.
Pour into pan.
Bake 30 minutes. Cut into bars.