Janet's Brownies

the best brownies I've ever had.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 3⁄4 cup cocoa powder
• 2  cups granulated sugar
• 17  tablespoons shortening or 17  tablespoons butter
• 4  large eggs (large or X large, not small)
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1  cup  nuts (chopped) (optional)
• 2  tablespoons  chocolate syrup

Directions

1. Lightly grease a baking pan 13’’ x 9” X 2’’. You can also use two 9 inch square pans, lightly greased.
2. I do not use a mixer. Hand-mixing turns out a better brownie. Overbeating makes them “tough”.
3. Measure out all of the ingredients.
4. • In the biggest bowl, place sugar (#2).
5. • In a second bowl, gently mix together flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder (#1, 6 & 7). The cocoa powder will fly around if you are too rough.
6. • In a separate container, melt the shortening (#3). It takes only a short time (about 1 minute) to melt it in a microwave – be careful! Note: You will be adding the melted shortening to the sugar. But – you must add the other ingredients fairly quickly, because if you delay at all, the sugar and shortening will turn into a solid lump! Do not add eggs to warm melted shortening, or the egg whites will “cook”.
7. • Break eggs (#4) into a bowl, and mix them so that yolks break. Do not beat.
8. This is how I mix the ingredients:
9. 1. Take bowl with sugar;.
10. 2. Add melted shortening and stir;.
11. 3. Immediately start adding some (about ½) of the flour mixture. Add eggs and keep stirring. Add in remainder of flour. Then you can slow down, adding vanilla (#5).
12. 4. Add nuts last (if you want them).
13. 5. Pour into pan(s). Bake 30 minutes, or until batter pulls away from sides, or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool 30 minutes.