Brownie recipe with more flour than sugar, circa late '50s-'60s?

April 23, 2019 6:43 AM

My mom (born in 1953) is on the hunt for a brownie recipe she had when she was a little girl. Her mother had sent away (probably from a flour company) for a little girl's cookbook that had a brownie recipe in it that she and her little friends would make. The only thing she remembers about the book is that the recipe called for more flour than sugar.

Any chance anyone remembers such a cookbook, or recipe? (I had an A-Z Gold Medal Flour cookbook from the '90s, but the "B" in it wasn't for brownies).

Thank you!

posted by knownassociate to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

I don't have the cookbook in front of me but betty crocker did a kids cookbook in the late 50s that comes up again and again. they released it again fairly recently too.
posted by noloveforned at 6:57 AM on April 23, 2019

I do have that cookbook in front of me (1965 edition), and the brownie recipe calls for more sugar than flour.
posted by FencingGal at 7:08 AM on April 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

A slightly wild goose chase for me, as I knew that the Guardian mentioned something of the history of brownies, which led me to this NYT article and so to an heirloom brownie recipe which is unlikely to be the one you're looking for, but does have more flour than sugar.
posted by Vortisaur at 7:22 AM on April 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

The recipe linked above has twice the amount of sugar than flour, so unlikely to be the one.

Here's the deal: brownies need more sugar than flour in order to be brownies. Even recipes labeled "bittersweet" still have more sugar than flour. So if the recipe lists less sugar than flour, it's because the sugar is coming from another ingredient. Here is one such recipe where much of the sugar is coming from semisweet chocolate, so you see that it only lists 3/4 cup white sugar.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:42 AM on April 23, 2019 [2 favorites]

It would be a big help if she could remember what kind of chocolate was used: unsweetened, chocolate chips, cocoa, Hershey's syrup.

Here's what I've found so far from a search of the Cookbooks Online database:

SARAH'S BROWNIES
3/4 c. vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. chopped nuts
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting:
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. water
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
3 Tbsp. margarine
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease and flour large flat pan. Beat together oil,
sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, cocoa, salt and
baking powder. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add nuts. Pour
into pan. Bake at 350 degrees until center springs back when pressed,
about 25 to 30 minutes. Frost with Fudge Frosting.
Frosting: Combine and cook over moderate heat the brown
sugar, cocoa and water. Boil for 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons
margarine, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and spread
over brownies.

***
HERSHEY BROWNIES

Brownies:
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 large can Hershey chocolate syrup
1 c. plus 1 heaping Tbsp. flour
1 c. nuts (optional)

Frosting:
1 1/2 c. sugar
6 Tbsp. milk
6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. chocolate chips

For Brownies: Beat together all ingredients thoroughly.
Turn into jelly roll pan or 10 x 15-inch cookie sheet with
sides and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or place in a 9 x 13-inch
pan and bake for 33 minutes. Cool before frosting.
For Frosting: Combine sugar, milk and butter in a pan.
Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 30 seconds. Remove from
heat and add the chocolate chips. Beat until mixture starts to
thicken, about one minute. Spread on brownies.

***
CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. (6 oz.) semi-sweet
chocolate pieces
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. hot water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Filling:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
(room temperature)
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling: In a small bowl beat cream
cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
Brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 or 9-inch
square baking pan. In a medium saucepan, combine butter and
chocolate pieces. Heat over low heat until melted and smooth,
stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, eggs,
water and vanilla until combined. Add flour, baking soda and
salt, stirring well. Stir in walnuts. Spread half of the
chocolate batter evenly in greased baking pan. Top with cream
cheese filling, spread evenly. Drop spoonfuls of remaining
chocolate batter evenly on top of cheese filling, spreading as
evenly as possible with knife. Swirl knife gently through
batter to marble. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake.
Brownies should be moist in center. Cool in pan. Cut cooled
brownies into squares. Store in refrigerator. Makes 25
(1 1/2-inch) brownies.
posted by Lunaloon at 10:24 AM on April 23, 2019

it might help if we knew where your mom grew up, or what flour brand your grandmother was likely to buy. there are some regional flour brands (white lily, for example) that are not available elsewhere.
posted by koroshiya at 11:24 AM on April 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you for the answers thus far!
posted by knownassociate at 12:32 PM on April 23, 2019

Response by poster: (whoops, hit 'post' too soon): She remembers that it was unsweetened squares for the chocolate, and grew up in NE New Jersey, right outside of NYC.
posted by knownassociate at 12:33 PM on April 23, 2019

I have the 1957 edition of the Betty Crocker Cook Book for Boys and Girls, which also has the proportions of sugar greater than flour, though it does use unsweetened chocolate. Memail me if your mom would like the recipe.
posted by citygirl at 2:47 PM on April 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Vintagecookbooks.com has pages of children’s cookbooks, including some advertising cookbooks. There are also some on ebay. It’s very possible someone is selling this cookbook and that your mom would recognize it if she saw it.
posted by FencingGal at 7:01 PM on April 23, 2019 [1 favorite]