Lunch Lady Brownies in a Sheet Pan

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Lunch lady brownies are the perfect thing when you need dessert for a crowd. This recipe makes an half pan of fudgy brownies with a decadent chocolate frosting for an amazing treat.

When you want a giant batch of frosted chocolate goodness, sheet pan brownies are just the thing. This big batch recipe is perfect for parties and potlucks because it makes plenty of fudgy goodness to share.

One of the best parts of the brownies we used to get in the school cafeteria was a nice layer of chocolate frosting, so of course this recipe has that as well. The brownies are good without it, but a little frosting always makes things better!

And both the brownies and the frosting are super simple to make. You can easily cut it onto 36 nice size servings or even more small squares and feed a crowd.

Making Fudgier Brownies

These cakey brownies will remind you of the school cafeteria in the best kind of way. For fudgier brownies, just leave out the baking soda.

Either way they are absolutely loaded with chocolate and taste amazing. The only difference is the final texture, so it depends if you like them a little bit airy or dense and gooey.

Punching up the Chocolate Flavor

These brownies are rich and chocolaty as written, but adding coffee makes that chocolate taste even better. Just substitute in coffee wherever you see water in the recipe.

I was tempted to do that myself, but figured real lunch ladies might shy away from adding coffee to elementary school desserts. The teachers would likely revolt if they found out the kids were being caffeinated at lunch!

Adding coffee won’t make the brownies taste like coffee, it will just boost the chocolate flavor. Though you could add coffee extract or concentrated coffee if you did want to go for a stronger coffee mocha flavor.

Storing Leftover Brownies

Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you find they start drying out, you can add a slice of sandwich bread to the container to help keep them soft longer.

For longer storage, wrap the extra brownies well and freeze for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make this sheet pan brownie recipe if I don’t have a sheet pan?

This recipe makes a very full 13x18x1″ pan of brownies, so make sure your pan is at least that big. If you don’t have a jelly roll pan that meets those dimensions, you can divide the recipe between two 9×13″ pans.

They won’t take quite as long to bake in the smaller pan, so start checking them after they have baked for about 20 minutes.

Should brownies be on the top or bottom rack?

Brownies should be baked on the middle rack of your oven. That is where they will get the most even heat and will be least likely to burn due to being too close to a heating element.

More great brownie recipes

We have been on a bit of a brownie roll lately. There are just so many fun ways to make them.

So if you aren’t looking to whip up a giant half sheet pan filled with frosted brownies, don’t despair. We have plenty of other recipes for you.

If that coffee and brownie combination caught your interest, check out coffee and cream brownies. It is a much smaller batch, but the layers make them absolutely stunning.

For a slightly larger batch of sticky layered treats, make Mississippi mud brownies. They have marshmallow and chocolate goodness on top of the gooey brownies.

Or make your own homemade brownie mix and store it for later use. Or load it in a jar and give it as an easy edible gift.

Rhubarb brownies combine rich fudgy chocolate and brown butter batter with bits of fresh rhubarb. It may sounds like a strange combination, but trust me it works!

Layered monster brownies are the perfect combination of Graham cracker crust, rich chocolaty brownies and peanut butter for an extra special treat.

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