Amanda De Jager Friedman: It's also called Texas sheet cake

Also known as Texas Sheet Cake, buttermilk brownies have long been a staple in our family.

I take that back; these brownies are not a staple. They function more aptly as a cattle call.

Whenever my dear mother wishes to round up her five overgrown spawns, she knows that news of a good lunch and fresh baked buttermilk brownies will have us peeling down the muddy roads toward "headquarters" faster than a pack of hungry coyotes.

Just this past week, we relished an afternoon of football (poor Bret Favre!), nachos, barbecue beef, and primarily, buttermilk brownies. Few minutes went by without someone hovering over the chocolatey sheet pan with the stance of a vulture, knife in hand, hacking away bite by bite.

Yes, they're that good.

At the first sensation of sinking my teeth into the frosting, I'm brought back to my uninhibited farm girl childhood. My priorities were limited back then.

I was always pursuing one of three things: scheming a new way to make my brothers either laugh or cry, coaxing the flea-bitten barn cats out of the wood pile with spoiled cow colostrum so I could pretend to be a veterinarian, or plotting my next attempt to sneak more brownies out of the kitchen without being noticed.

Basically, I was the chubby, bullying big sister who smelled perpetually of cow's milk and dirt, with chocolate crumbs trickled conspicuously on the edges of my chapped lips.

Come to think of it, things really haven't changed much.

Well, except for the barn-cat-dirt-smelling thing.

I've come a long way, baby.

We were, and still are really fortunate kids. Our mom baked relentlessly -- and exceptionally. The only one who didn't appreciate it was our dentist.

While Mom's pastry repertoire is whopping full of great eats, these brownies have got to be in the top five.

The recipe is a classic, but she updates it by using some extra cocoa, giving the brownies their rich dark color and flavor.

The other key is to use the right size pan, which is the tricky part.

Most baking sheet pans are 11-by-17 inches, but this recipe is best in a 15-by-10. If you have trouble finding one, check out discount home goods stores, which are always a good bet for obscure kitchen items.

This recipe is big. It's perfect for your upcoming Super Bowl party, or even just for you. Betcha you'll have the whole thing polished off in a weekend!

Amanda De Jager Friedman owns the Piano Caffe in Merced.

Renae's buttermilk brownies

(recipe written in her very own words)

2 c. sugar

4 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa (I use 5 heaping tablespoons)

2 c. flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 c. water

1/2 c. butter (1 cube)

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. buttermilk

2 eggs

Frosting:

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. Dutch process cocoa (I use 1 extra tablespoon)

1/3 c. buttermilk

1 lb. powdered sugar (the small box)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Grease a 10x15 jelly roll pan (this is a kicker, because, most jelly roll pans are 11x 17, I am always hunting for this size). Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda together well. (This is important, or they bake up uneven). In a medium size saucepan, heat up butter, oil and water until almost boiling. Whisk together eggs and buttermilk and add to puddle in dry mixture. Pour hot mixture over and whisk together until lumps disappear. Pour the thin batter in to pan. Drop lightly onto counter to settle bubbles.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Let brownies cool for 10 minutes, then begin making frosting.

Frosting:

Use same saucepan and boil butter, cocoa and buttermilk. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to pan and whisk quickly. Pour over brownies and use butter knife to spread to the edges. Work quickly as it sets up fast.