Grammy's Recipe Book Desserts

Anna's Raspberry Brownies

From Anna325°F ovenone 8-inch square pan

Prep
35 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
1 hrcool before frosting
Total
2 hr 15 minstart to eating

Times are our estimates for Grammy's recipe, with unhurried prep.

Grammy's handwritten page for Anna's Raspberry Brownies
Page 10 · full size

As written

Word for word from her page, with her spelling and line breaks. [?] marks a word we couldn't read.

Anna's Raspberry Brownies

3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup margarine
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
1/3 cup raspberry jam

Melt choc. with shortening over
hot water. Let cool a bit. Add
eggs, sugar, vanilla, + salt.
Add flour, fold in nuts.
Place in well greased 8" sq.
pan. Bake 325° 40 min.
Take out - spoon jam over
hot brownies + let cool. Frost:
Melt 1 oz unsweetened choc.
Blend in 2 tbsp each butter,
+ light corn syrup. Stir in 1 cup
confect sugar, 1 tbsp milk + 1 tsp
vanilla - mix + spread on top!

Grammy's recipe

Her recipe, typed out to cook from: her amounts and her words, with abbreviations spelled out and the steps numbered.

Ingredients

Brownies

  • 3 squares (3 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
  • ½ cup margarine
  • 3 eggs
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1½ cups chopped nuts
  • ⅓ cup raspberry jam

Frosting

  • 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method

  1. Melt the chocolate with the margarine over hot water. Let it cool a bit.
  2. Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the flour, then fold in the nuts.
  3. Spread in a well-greased 8-inch square pan and bake at 325° for 40 minutes.
  4. Take it out, spoon the jam over the hot brownies, and let cool.
  5. Frosting: melt the chocolate, blend in the butter and corn syrup, then stir in the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix and spread on top!

Modernized

A present-day cookbook version, with missing steps filled in. These are suggestions, not her words.

Ingredients

Brownies

  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
  • ⅓ cup seedless raspberry jam

Chocolate glaze

  • 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1–2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil or parchment and grease it.
  2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts. Cool 5 minutes.
  3. Whisk in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time, the vanilla and salt.
  4. Fold in the flour, then the nuts. Spread in the pan.
  5. Bake 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
  6. Warm the jam slightly and spread it over the hot brownies. Cool completely.
  7. Glaze: melt the chocolate with the butter and corn syrup, then whisk in the sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Spread over the jam and let set before cutting.

Ideas to play with

Twists and variations to try. Suggestions, not hers.

  • Other jams

    Try apricot or cherry jam, or orange marmalade with a little orange zest in the batter.

  • No nuts

    Leave them out and stir in ½ cup chocolate chips instead.

  • Fresh berries

    Press a handful of fresh raspberries into the jam layer before glazing.

  • Doubled

    Double everything in a 9×13 pan and bake about 45 minutes.