Though many students were unhappy with their school lunches, many of the recipes prepared by the lunch ladies were truly delicious. Maybe you weren’t a huge fan of the canned green beans, but how about that square pizza? Is that all we have time for, the peanut butter squares? Everybody in the cafeteria had their favorite lunchtime dishes. Many of the most well-liked cafeteria dishes are so common because of how simple they are to prepare and how well they are received by customers.

One such recipe is the lunch lady brownie, and the experience of eating these incredibly moist brownies again brought back fond memories of elementary school. They are incredibly soft, and the frosting dissolves in your mouth. Who knew we’d long for these lunchtime treats so much when they were gone? The first step in making these delectable brownies is to line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing it to hang over the edges in two opposite directions.

The next step is to prepare a standard brownie batter by creaming together some butter and sugar before incorporating some eggs and vanilla. Then, sift in the flour and cocoa powder and mix until the batter is a consistent dark brown. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, after pouring the batter into the pan. If you want your brownies to stay moist, you shouldn’t use a brand new knife.

The secret to perfect brownies is to underbake them just a little bit. It’s best to get started on the frosting while the brownies are cooling down. Butter, milk, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar are all that’s needed to make this easy dessert. If you have access to Dutch cocoa, which is much easier to dissolve in liquids than natural cocoa, you can use it to make drinks with a more intense cocoa flavor with minimal effort.

Any way you slice it, this icing is a cinch to whip up. Applying the frosting while the brownies are still warm will allow the frosting to melt into the warm brownies. The butter in the frosting ensures that the topping on these brownies retains its velvety smoothness even after the brownies have cooled completely. You won’t be disappointed if you compare these to the ones you used in school. Make these brownies and judge for yourself if they measure up to what you remember from the lunch ladies.