Sometimes a thick, cake-y brownie covered in icing is the only thing that will hit the spot. Fudge-like desserts have their place, but these buttermilk brownies combine the best of both worlds with an airy brownie and a rich, sweet icing on top. Thanks to buttermilk in the batter these not only taste delicious, but they really rise quite a bit in the oven. These are brownies you can really sink your teeth into.

To make this batter you melt butter in a saucepan along with cocoa powder with both granulated sugar and brown sugar. This creates a rich syrup that will form the base of the brownie.

Combine this with the remaining dry ingredients and then add in the vanilla, eggs, and the secret ingredient: buttermilk. This ingredient has been adding height and creating wonderful texture in baked goods for centuries. Before modern leavening agents buttermilk was one of the few reliable ways to get a bit of lift in cookies, cakes, and biscuits.

While that brownies are baking you get started on the frosting. This simple combination is made from butter, cocoa powder, more buttermilk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. It’s important that this goes on the brownies while they are fresh out of the oven so that it can really soak in.

Then all that’s left to do is to let them cool off a bit and then cut them into squares before serving.

These are some of the best cake-y brownies you’ll come across and are perfect with a cup of milk for a nostalgic treat.