Julie’s Chewy Cocoa Brownies

My friend Julie and her family have been making this old fashioned chewy gooey brownie forever. The original recipe comes from an old Grange Cookbook, with a missing cover and blue binding, submitted by a Mrs. Walter Grunhaupt from Grinnell, Iowa. I wonder if she had another identity besides her husband’s? That we’ll never know.

Julie’s whole-wheat flour adaption is even better than Mrs. Grunhaupt’s white flour version, and reducing the sugar didn’t hurt a bit. Then there’s Julie’s chocolate icing, worthy of licking clean off the brownie itself.

You can choose to make your icing shiny and soft, or thick and fudgy with the same recipe. See the icing recipe below for instructions.

Julie’s Chewy Cocoa Brownies
Whole wheat flour holds up better than white flour, making for a nicer chewy brownie texture.

1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
1 cup chopped nuts of your choice (I use walnuts), optional

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan lightly with butter.

2. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Mix in the cocoa powder and flour just until incorporated, then mix in nuts if using.

3. Spread the mixture into the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the sides start to pull away from the pan and the brownies are no longer wet looking.

4. Cool brownies to room temperature before icing.

Brownie Icing Two Ways


3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
A small pinch of salt if using unsalted butter

Bring the milk, butter, sugar, and salt if using to a simmer stirring often. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 full minutes stirring often. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until smooth.

For Matte Fudge Topping: Spread the hot icing over the brownies with a spatula until even. Cool completely to set.

For Shiny Glaze Topping: Pour the hot icing onto the brownies. Roll icing around the brownies by tilting the pan to coat, but do not spread with a spatula. Cool completely to set.

Recipe adapted by Julie Hopper and rewritten and adapted for a one-bowl method by Laura Flowers. Original version comes from an old “Grange Cookbook” with a missing cover and blue binding. Recipe submitted to the book by, “Mrs. Walter Grunhaupt, Master’s Wife. Chester Royal Grange No. 2181, Grinnell, Iowa. Icing recipe adapted from Julie Hopper. Pictures by Laura Flowers