Grandma Arta's Brownies

I crave these. Often. Even though I made them so recently, I really want to make them again. And again. No, seriously. 

I've had people who don't like chocolate love these. My friend who doesn't like much frosting licked it off the parchment paper I gave it to her in. 

My mom said tasting these made her want to marry my dad so she could get the recipe. She did both, but I may be exaggerating the recipe as a reason. Only slightly.

They're not only delicious, but also very easy. (I hope you weren't guessing I would say healthy, because they're definitely not that).

If you skip the marshmallows and the frosting, they're as quick as box brownies, and still 1000000 x better tasting (or more). But I never leave out the marshmallows and frosting. I've planned on not adding them many times before, but once you know how much the top two layers add, it's really hard to go back.

This is not the frosting. It's the batter. Yes it's that rich.

Yum! Just wait until you get to the frosting! (Don't worry, I spread the brownies before I licked the spatula, and washed it before it touched anything else)

Now that I've taunted you enough, here's the recipe:

Brownies:

1  cup butter

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

3ish cups mini marshmallows if desired (they're definitely desired)

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 pan. Mix the sugar, butter and cocoa. Add the eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for about 22 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Pour/spread marshmallows on top of the brownies until covered by a single layer (or more) and stick it back in the oven for about 1-2 minutes. You just want the marshmallows to puff, but be white still and not at all golden. Like this:

Take them out and let them cool (if you can wait) and frost. Please frost, even if you can't wait. You'll be glad you did. 

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Mix. Spread. Enjoy. Or enjoy and spread at the same time. That's what I do. I also wouldn't substitute anything else for the evaporated milk. It's what gives the frosting its distinctive taste.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that they're kind of messy, but totally worth it. Most of the pan may have been eaten within 24 hours of baking by 2 of us. Don't worry, we also joined Gold's Gym in that same time period. Still, worth it.

WARNING: Putting them in the refrigerator to slow down consumption does not work. I think they actually taste better cold, and are less messy that way. Or at least that's my excuse. Maybe the back of the freezer or your neighbor's fridge might work better (if your neighbor is allergic to marshmallows that is).