Favorite Brownies

Everyone seems to love chocolate - and brownies are one of the favorite chocolate tastes. Brownies are a quick bar cookie to make and can vary from cake-like texture to fudgelike. This recipe is a good balance between the drier cake type and the moist dense fudge type.


Brownies are a "made in USA" food, originating in the United States in the early 1900's. No one knows for sure when and how they came to be, but a popular story is that a cook forgot to put some of the baking powder in her chocolate cake. Many of the best recipes come to be by mistake! Brownies got their name from cartoon elves that were popular at that time (as did the Kodak Brownie camera).

I like this recipe because its quick and tasty. It makes a large batch, great for taking to family or covered dish dinners. They also freeze well, if you can get them that far! The recipe was from Taste Of Home, and I get frequent requests for it after I've taken them to a dinner.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour 

½ cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (I use less)

1 cup (6 oz) vanilla or white chips (I use less)

1 cup chopped walnuts (I use a couple of handfuls of chopped pecans)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until blended (do not over-mix).

Pour into two greased 9-in. square baking pans. (I use a large 12x17 inch pan). Sprinkle with chips and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.

Yield: 36 - 38 brownies.