I don’t have a lot of recipes from my great-aunt Madge and her lifelong “roommate” Ruby, but this is one of them. As far as caramel goes, this frosting is softer and less sticky, more like a fudge in its own right than traditional caramel. As far as frosting goes, it’s denser than buttercream. I put it on dark fudge brownies and added a light sprinkling of kosher salt, and it turned out to be a winning combination. Once it dries on the surface, it’s pretty sturdy and won’t smear as easily if you put a brownie in a plastic bag.

This frosting might work best on similarly dense baked goods like brownies, or as filling for a cookie sandwich. If you want to use it on a cake, it might help to freeze the cake first and apply the caramel frosting when it’s still a little warm, as it gets denser and harder as it cools.

One batch makes about 1/2 cups, which was plenty to cover a 9 x 13-inch pan of brownies.

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
8 oz. light brown sugar
1/4 c. half & half
8 oz. powdered sugar

Melt the butter in a saucepan on low heat.

Add the brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the half & half and continue to cook and stir until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes until it’s no longer molten, but not cold, either.

Add sifted powdered sugar gradually until you get the right consistency to spread.

Use or store in a covered jar. Keeps almost indefinitely. Add flaky salt, nuts, or coconut if desired. (If it’s too stiff, add cream.)