Chocolate Frosting

You know my favorite mother-in-law, right? She rocks the Hays Family....with chocolate frosting. When she first taught me to make it, I couldn't. Well, I could but it didn't taste or look like hers. It's taken a few years and some additional lessons but I now rock chocolate frosting. Really.

The CYO at church is fund raising to attend the national conference. Fund raising...meaning like they need $500 a kid and we have 22 kids planning to attend. And 4 grown ups. So like 12 grand. This has been a.....lot of bake sales, church dinners and and and and....you get the picture. At this point, if I had the money we need I would write a check and never bake anything on Sunday morning at o dark thirty again.

But alas, no money and what would it teach our youth? So this morning I was up at o dark thirty baking. Brownies with frosting and oatmeal cake. As I was baking, I thought...others should have the benefit of my favorite mother-in-laws frosting....not just my big butt.

So here goes--

Chocolate Frosting
by My Favorite Mother-in-Law

4 cups of powdered sugar
dash of salt
1 stick of melted real live butter....not that fake stuff
1/2 cup of cocoa
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 cup of milk...more on this later

Very simple ingredients. You probably have them in your pantry at all times. I do. You should.

Melt your butter.

Add the cocoa. And let it sit. Longer. A little longer. I have watched her and this seems to be a 'trick'. Don't rush this process.
Begin whisking.

Whisk until ssssmmmmoooootttttthhhhhhh. Very ssssmmmmoooootttttthhhhhhh. And shiny. Very shiny.

Put half the powdered sugar, half the cocoa, and half the milk. Add vanilla and salt.

Mix until mixed.

Once you have it mixed up....add the other half of the ingredients. Let me tell you about the milk now. We drink skim milk. Someone inadvertently purchased 1% several weeks ago...don't ask me. I think that there is a man in the grocery who trades stuff around in my cart. rEEally. Anyway. And my people thought they had been poisoned. Geez. Skim milk is OK for frosting. But it would be better if you used evaporated milk--if you use skim milk to drink. One time (and this is off the subject) I had heavy whipping cream left from an ice cream making adventure and I used that. Oh my. You have never had such a wonderful frosted anything as that batch of frosting. So use whatever but just know that skim milk is uh, probably not the best choice for frosting.

And my favorite mother-in-law doesn't always use all of the milk. It is really kind of a test. I just dump it all in and figure I can fix it with some extra powdered sugar if it is too thin. I think that happens when I use skim milk. Don't use skim milk.

Isn't it gorgeous? Don't you wish you had a spoon? I wish you were here....

Fresh out of spoons? A finger works quite nicely. Isn't it beautiful? Mmmmm......oh so good.


This batch of frosting makes enough frosting to frost 2 boxes of brownies. I dump the frosting in the center of the cooled brownies and spread from the center. Gently.


If you don't have one of these spatulas....get yourself invited to a Pampered Chef party and buy one. These are great little tools. Spread from the center and just keep working towards the outer edge.

Are you hungry yet? Are you jealous? Do you hate me for this post, yet? You want brownies. Go ahead. Make some. Or just make the frosting and spread it on your fingers. Or on a graham cracker. Or. Well, wherever.

These baking M&M's make a nice decoration. Little kids like these a lot. Ok...well most big kids like them, too.

Got a knife? Did you know that you should cut brownies with a plastic knife? It's true. You know those brownie bumps you get when cut them with a metal knife? Won't happen with a plastic knife. Trust me.


They didn't all get eaten at church. I believe I am going to be forced to ingest my share. I can take one for the team. Just sayin'.