Milky Way (TM) Brownies

Okay, so this one I do know came from my sister.  By the way, you are picking up that the editorial comments aren't from her, right?  My sister is from the midwest.  They don't talk like this there.

First, go buy a 8 oz brownie mix package and make sure you have all the fixins it requires.  Don't get any of the fancy-dancy ones, stick with one of the basics. Well, one of the basics that has actual chocolate in it. If it says fudge but not chocolate? Probably doesn't have any chocolate in it.  While you're in the baking aisle, make sure you've got a good enough supply of powdered sugar (icing sugar for you Canadians, did that ever take me a long time to learn that one) and vanilla. And real vanilla please.  If you use the fake stuff, don't ever admit to me.  Really.  If you'll use vanilla flavoring, you might as well start buying carob chips and margarine and then I'll just have to divorce you.  Oh, yeah, you need some butter too.  Not margarine, not oleo, not "I can't believe it's not butter" (tm), not the soy stuff, real butter.  Yes, I know it's expensive.  If it makes you feel that guilty, just eat less of it.

While you're at the checkout, remember to reach over and pick up enough Milky Way (tm) bars to add up to 6 oz.  Don't ask me what that is in metric, sorry, I can still do the m/km and lb/kg conversions, but the smaller numbers lose me.  I've done the math about 3 times and keep coming up with different answers.  Anyway, it's all irrelevant because you'll want to eat some of them anyhow so just make sure you've got more than enough.  Last time I checked, whatever the regular bars weigh they don't add up exactly to 6 oz so just buy a few more and then you'll have enough to eat as well as to make the brownies.

So once you're home, preheat the oven to 350.  Mix up the brownie mix as per the directions.  Pull out a 9" square pan (or whatever size the brownie mix package tells you it will make).  Put half the batter in the pan.  You don't need to measure this you know.  It doesn't have to be exactly half.  What needs to be closer to exact are what you're going to do with the Milky Way (tm) bars while the oven is preheating.  Take one of your really sharp knives and slice them into little slices (vertically--don't be showing off by slicing them horizontally, that doesn't make you clever, it just makes you annoying) about 1/8 of an inch will do.  You'll want them at room temp for this: too cold and they just shatter or don't cut, too warm and your knife sticks to the stuff inside.  When you've got your 6 oz sliced, go ahead and divide them into 3 equal piles.  I'll tell you why in a moment.

Take one of those piles of slices--the one with the slices with the least breakage--and gently lay them evenly across the batter in the pan.  Then gently smooth the remaining batter over the top of this.  Put in oven and set your timer for 40 minutes.

During the last 5 or 10 minutes the brownies are in the oven, you're going to make the frosting.  Take out a small heavy-bottomed pot, put it on the stove.  Put your remaining two piles of Milky Way (tm) slices in the pan along with 5 tablespoons of butter. (Yes, 5.) Turn the element on low, stir constantly until the slices melt and are mixed with the butter and no lumps remain.  If you don't stir constantly, you'll discover the many and varied joys of what happens when caramel not only sticks to a pan, but burns to it.  If that's something you enjoy, have at it.  For the rest of you sane folks, when everything is melted but not burnt, turn the heat down even lower and add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Then measure out 3/4 cup of confectioners/icing/powdered sugar (yes, while still stirring, do it earlier if you remember or just become ambidextrous like the rest of us forgetful types) and while stirring, drizzle the powdered sugar in slowly. Now if you've timed this right, the timer should be binging just about the same time you've finished mixing in the powdered sugar.  Pull the frosting pan off the element, pull the brownie pan out of the stove, and frost the brownies immediately.

Let the brownies cool and serve to however many of your nearest and dearest you think might deserve some of these.