Miss dj's brownie recipe

[MissDJ]

Making brownies from scratch is easy-peasy. You already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen, and you will avoid the weird preservatives and chemicals found in the box mixes. As a bonus, you have control over the quality of chocolate you use. Try it!

Miss DJ's Brownies
1 cup sifted flour (all-purpose or cake flour)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 square (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate ***
6 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ to ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F
2. Combine and sift flour, baking powder, and salt
3. Melt chocolate and butter (or margarine) over very low heat
4. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until well-mixed
5. Add chocolate mixture and sifted dry ingredients to egg mix - scraping bowl as necessary
6. Stir in nuts (optional)
7. Turn batter into a greased 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan (the batter will be thick, so you may need to spread it with your mixing spoon or spatula)
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until done. Do not over-cook or the brownies will be dry.

Cool in pan, cut into squares, frost if desired (I sprinkle mine with a little powdered sugar instead)

*** Recipe Tweak:
6 Tablespoons of good quality powdered cocoa and 3 Tablespoons of vegetable shortening can be substituted for the 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate.