It started as a really nice thing to do for a friend who was not feeling well.
As I start this story, let me introduce Betty, one of my dearest friends and a kind and loving soul, who is a very active community member, business entrepreneur, and one of those people who travels through life with both grace and humor. The humor part is most important.
She had me in stitches when she told me this tale.
Being a caring and giving person, and living here in the great state of Vermont where it is perfectly legal, she offered to make some special brownies for her friend who was going through chemo. Simple enough, some decadent chocolate treats laced with just a bit of magic oil that makes life tolerable when undergoing these treatments. She brought the ingredients to his house and baked the cookies there, so he could enjoy the aroma of the baking. Brownies cooling, and as she was cleaning up, she mindlessly licked the mixing spoon, which, unbeknownst to her, apparently had a large amount of the magic oil clinging to it.
Maybe I shouldn’t have licked the spoon…
She headed out to her daughter’s home, and in a few minutes she realized that she probably should not have licked the spoon. It wasn’t far to go, but she took a detour on a quiet back road and went very slow, arriving at her daughter’s house feeling quite happy and a little silly. A problem here, especially since the daughter’s husband does not have even a beer in the house.
Her daughter opened the door, and her two granddaughters came running up to her, hugs and exclaiming “Gram, do you want to watch Princess Bride?”
“Absolutely!” Betty said enthusiastically, probably a little too much so, and immediately snuggled on the couch with the two girls, trying not to giggle, with her daughter eyeing her.
Busted
When the movie was over (she doesn’t remember most of it), the girls asked to watch it again, and Betty said “Sure!” but her daughter intervened and told them they had to get ready for bed.
“Mother what’s going on?” she said, looking her up and down. “Are you drunk?”
“No, no, but I accidentally licked a spoon,” she explained the story, giggling all the time.
“You don’t happen to have any potato chips do you? Or peanuts?”
Even in Vermont
I think it will be a while before she lives this one down, especially with the lecture she received about driving. After she told me the story, she looked at me through squinted eyes “You’re going to write about this aren’t you?” I smiled, and she asked me to change her name. We live in Vermont, but even so, there are some in the work place who might not be amused.
Watch out for the pretty dishes of Jello
The story made me think about another friend who went to a party and was unaware the pretty little red cups of Jello with whipped cream on top were made with vodka. They were tiny, so she indulged in quite a few of them, and before long, because she had no idea she was consuming Jello shots, she thought she was probably having a stroke.
No hidden surprises
There are lessons here for sure. One must always be careful to ensure all ingredients in a recipe are clearly announced. And, of course, one should be very careful about licking a spoon when magic ingredients are involved. On the serious side, there are a lot of edibles out there that are most attractive to children, especially in the form of gummies and those should be stored with great care. Personally, I don’t think they should be made to look like candy, but that is another topic.
How about a regular no-frills brownie?
Betty’s story also made me think of my mom’s brownies. No, she didn’t infuse them with pot (although she did try medical marijuana when she was undergoing chemo at the end of her life. It helped), but she loved making the old fashioned, no-frills bars for us, often as an after-school snack. They were a simple affair, humble. No nuts, no fancy frostings, no fudgy gooeyness or salted caramel, no mile-high ingredients. They were bar cookies, thinner than what you find in the shops nowadays, but very chocolaty. They didn’t taste like fudge or cake, they had their own distinctive brownie texture and flavor.
To doctor them up or not
I admit that when I make brownies, I usually doctor them up with a little ganache on top, some chocolate chips stirred into the batter, nuts sometimes. But now and then, I make a batch in my little 8”X8” cake pan, cut it into 16 squares, and pile a plate high for the kids. Just a few memories to pass on, although they never quite taste like my mom’s. I wonder if she had a secret ingredient of some sort.
Mom’s Old Fashioned Brownie Recipe
- ½ cup flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 squares (2 oz. unsweetened) chocolate
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Melt the chocolate and butter, let cool a few minutes and add to the eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix into the flour mixture.
Bake in a greased 8”X8” pan at 300 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool and cut into 16 pieces.
Ingredient note: Baker’s chocolate squares, the unsweetened that mom used in her recipes back in the day, used to be packed in idividual 1-ounce squares, neatly wrapped in paper. They were like little presents. A few years back, they changed it up and now offer it in one large bar, divided into 1/4-ounce rectangles that you have to cut apart. The package contains half the amount of chocolate it used to, at the same price. Of course, you have to use 4 squares to make one original square, and eight to make up what is needed for this recipe.
You probably won’t leave it alone, so if you like, add some nuts. Or chocolate chips. Or a big teaspoon of espresso powder.
In any case, you can lick the spoon.
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😂😂😂
I know, I can see her sitting on the couch with the girls avoiding her daughter’s stares!
Oh, too funny I probably would have done the same thing. A little bonus. 😉
just a bit of the treat for the cook!
Tee-hee!
💕
We’ve all been there right? And brownies are well…brownies!
That they are!
Such a fun post to read! And thanks for sharing Mom’s brownie recipe.😊
Thanks Carole! It’s a classic.
My question is; Did the brownies help the friend they were made for? There are no judgments here, I had a friend who dealt with unimaginable pain and have often wondered if a spiked brownie would have helped. As for your passed down recipe, that’s a treasure to share! Love the story and the recipe!
The brownies did indeed help with the nausea! And they probably elevated his mood too. When my mom was going through chemo, it was the only thing that stopped her nausea so she could actually keep food in her body.
Yum
Who doesn’t love a brownie?
Great stories! And the brownies look good too!!!!
Thanks Marilyn! They do remind me of being a kid!
This is a hilarious cautionary tale! The names have been changed to protect the innocent, because she was, right?
Oh yeah, Amie!
Chocolate is the cure for everything! 🙂
It sure is Ronit, especially in winter!
What a story! Thanks for the entertainment, Dorothy! The recipe for the brownies is great. Best wishes, Michael
Thanks Michael! She had me in stitches when she recounted the tale to me!
Hi Dorothy, this is an entertaining story. I would have found it very funny if it were my mum. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Yes, I bet! And I think her daughter eventually saw the humor!
You’re killing me, Dorothy. This brings all new meaning to the phrase, “Chocolate is my friend.” 😍🪴🤣
Right? It was certainly memorable!
Oh my! Too funny. And thank god I stay away from jello!
I know! It would take more than vodka for me to eat the stuff!
Ooops!
Yes! Oops!
What a fun story. I had that happen the first time I had home made eggnog. I had only had the kind you bought in the store so I unknowingly had several glasses, and when that whiskey hit my brain–wowsers! I had to go lie down. Jello shots on the other hand sounds like a way to ruin perfectly good liquor. I have been planning to bake brownies using my mom’s recipe. They were like your mom’s–simple, no extra additions, a flat brownie and the top had a sort of cracked appearance–something to do with the eggs. But they were so good! I am going to look at her recipe and see how it compares to your mom’s just for fun.
I bet the recipes are quite similar, one of those simple recipes that was easy to remember! Let me know!
Oh, I’m so laughing at these little life adventures – laughter is good medicine!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣
It sure is my friend! Helps us get through it all.
Great stories with a lesson to remember. 🙂 The brownies look delicious too. Of course, I don’t remember meeting a brownie I didn’t enjoy.
I know! I like them in all their versions!
I have a couple of friends who add magic oil to cookies. It helps.
I have another who puts the magic in Rice Krispie Treats!
looks great, nicely done
Thank you Charlie! It was fun to make these again.
A great story I haven’t used magic oil myself or tried it-smile- I agree about the gummy bears which are sold quite freely here which I don’t agree with either. Love the brownie recipe but then I haven’t met a brownie I haven’t ate although I have my favourites 🙂 x
I guess one needs to be very careful in distribution of the magic oil!
Brownies are pretty much a lovely little chocolate pick-me-up.
I agree..there is furious back peddling going on here as when the rules were relaxed shops and products have sprung up everywhere….
I was screaming with laughter about this one! 😂
For someone high as a kite, can’t think of a better movie than Princess Bride!!! 🤣
I know, it was priceless, wasn’t it!
What a great story! I will now always think of it whenever I lick a spoon! 😀
Be careful….
Lovely story, Dorothy . . . and who could resist licking that chocolatey spoon? 😉
I sure couldn’t! We do some things by habit!
This had me laughing with no end of giggling in sight. What wonderful stories, Dorothy.
Thank you Misky! I still laugh when I think about this one!
I am sitting here smiling this morning because of your post. Thanks for the laugh.
You’re welcome my friend!
Thanks for the laughs; humor along with the wisdom of your stories. This is a treasure chest!
Thanks darlin’!
Those must have been powerful brownies if she got high just from licking the spoon!
Jenna
That concentrated magic oil has to be used with care!
Too funny! I hear it helps tremendously with chemo patients.
Thanks so much for Mom’s brownie recipe! Yum!
You’re welcome Nancy! Lots of memories there!
Oh what an awesome post and fun stories! Thanks ever so much. I wonder if I can pinch the plot and make it into a fictional story for my writing class? I could write it as a tale that Dorothy told me once – if you would like me to credit you or would you prefer a pseudonym too?
P.S. I am definitely going to make the chocolate slice ( as we call it here ) and I will lick the spoon, but no magic oil for me – just good old dark chocolate – with a high cocoa percentage.
Pinch away! I don’t need a pseudonym!
Enjoy the brownies. To me, dark chocolate is a magic oil!
Agreed. Dark Chocolate is magic stuff! Thanks ever so much for the permission to pinch!
Wow, I’m sure your friends had quite an experience 😆 I love your “humble” brownies! Sometimes I do think their recipes had their secret ingredient 😉
Oh I know! No matter how many times I’ve made these, they don’t taste just like my mom’s, at least in my memory!
I mean, isn’t licking the spoon one of the required baking steps? Great story!
Absolutely, the beaters too if you’re making a cake!
What hilarious stories Dorothy and your mom’s brownie recipe is a keeper!
It always makes me smile when I think of it!
these look delicious. Brownies are so good warm out of the oven!
That they ate, and cold out of the freezer!
This reminds me of a friend’s story. Her sister found some chocolates in someone’s fridge and ate them. They were magic chocolates and she was out of it for three days. At first, she was terrified because she thought she was having a stroke when her muscles became very relaxed. It’s good advice not to lick those magic spoons. I loved this post. It sounded like something I would do too.
You have me in stitches! But only because all was well in the end! Those magic treats should be labeled!
I think of it now and then and it always makes me chuckle. By the way, she is the wife of a pastor. That makes it funnier somehow.
Oh, yes it does!
Ha! What a funny story! 🙂 The brownie recipe looks yummy!
Thanks! The brownies were good, and heating my friend tell her story, even better!