Best Brownie Recipe Ever

I wouldn’t exactly call it stress, but I have to be on top of my game all week long with my new job.  Come Saturday, I’m pretty much useless, but there is cleaning and laundry to be done.  I finished all of that and decided to tackle something a little de-stressing.  I am not a cook/baker by any means, but there was no chocolate in the house and my son has been begging me to make him brownies for a couple of weeks now.  Today presented the perfect opportunity, so we whipped up a batch of Mrs. Betty’s Brownies….only the very best brownie recipe ever-ever-ever!

Mrs. Betty goes to my church and she always brings these brownies whenever we have church functions requiring food.  I always make sure I grab a brownie before they are gone because they go very, very quickly!  Mrs. Betty is also the mother to a very, very dear friend of mine, “M”.  “M” and I went through the youth group years together and had a blast.  She is also so pretty it should be illegal!! 

Mrs. Betty shared this recipe in our church’s centennial cookbook, and I am so glad she did.  The cookbook is just chocked full of fabulous recipes by the ladies and men of my church (some of them gone on to meet the Lord) that I hold very dear to my heart.  I’ll try to share a few recipes as we make them.

Mrs. Betty’s Brownies

2/3 c. butter or margarine

2 c. chocolate chips

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

2 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. plain flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine butter, sugar, and water in a pan.  Bring to a boil and add chocolate chips and vanilla.  Reduce heat and stir until chips melt.  In a bowl, mix dry ingredients and eggs.  Pour in the chocolate mixture and mix well.  Pour into buttered 13 x 9 pan and bake at 325 for 50 minutes or until done.

* My tips….don’t even attempt to mix this by hand.  And….my brownies were done in about 35-40 minutes, so oven temps will vary.  Enjoy!