Grandma Beulah's Homemade Brownies

by Bill
(Kansas, USA)

I spent a lot of time up at Grandma and Grandpa's house when I was a kid. They lived just a quarter of a mile from my family's home, which was within easy walking distance. There were several great climbing trees near their house, and better yet, my grandma liked to spoil us kids with her homemade brownies. Sometimes they had nuts in 'em, from one of the black walnut trees that grew in the back of the place, and sometimes they didn't. But either way, they were great.

What I mainly liked about her brownies was that there was a thin crust on top, so when I bit in, there was a little crunch to go with the moist insides. Here's the homemade brownie recipe:

2 squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/3 cup of shortening
1 cup white cane sugar
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup black walnut pieces (optional)

First, cream the shortening and sugar together. Mix in the beaten egg, then stir in the melted chocolate. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, then mix that into the wet ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten the dry ingredients, then fold in the walnut pieces.

Pour the batter into an 8 inch square baking pan, and level with the spoon. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in an oven set to 350°F. Test the brownies with a toothpick-- when it comes out clean, they're done.