Picnic Brownies

I was in a cooking recession. Upon arriving home from school, I ravaged the house for cookbooks. I stared down at pictures of Mississipi Mud Pie longingly, admired picture-perfect chocolate chip cookies, but there was nothing "round" that appealed to me. I was determined to cook something round. Needless to say, my Mom, the cooking expert, whipped out this recipe and within 15 minutes, both of us working together, the brownies were in the oven. The scent of melted chocolate heavy in the air, I pulled the brownies out of the oven only 25 minutes later. We served them within the hour, and, with the warm, gooey brownies in our mouths, it was unanimous that they were heavenly! These brownies were a picnic to make!

4 ounces baking chocolate

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1-3/4 cups flour

2/3 cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds, chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

Grease two 9-inch round pans. In top of bouble boiler or microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter. In medium bowl, mix sugar, vanilla, and salt; add to melted chocolate mixture and blend well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and mix well. Divide batter equally into prepared pans. Spread evenly and sprinkle top of each with chopped nuts and chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (do not overbake). Allow to cool completely before cutting. Run a thin knife between pan and brownies and turn upside down. You may need to shake hard to release brownies from pan. With knife that is longer than brownies are wide, cut brownies by pressing knife straight down through brownies; cut into 8 pie-shaped pieces. (I actually just cut the brownies in the pan and it worked.)

Makes 16 brownies.