Earn Some Brownie Points...

...with these easy (what else!) Brownies. This recipe is for the only "from scratch" brownies I ever make. It's adapted from a recipe I found in a church cookbook--First Baptist Church (of DeRidder, Louisiana) 75th Anniversary Cookbook, from 1979. It meets all of the criteria of being quick, easy, and uses "regular" ingredients--items that you probably have on hand in your fridge and pantry.

Ingredients:

• 2 c sugar
• 1 c self-rising flour
• 1/2 c cocoa
• 1 stick (1/2 c) butter or margarine
• 4 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 c chopped pecans (optional)

Stir together sugar, flour, and cocoa in a large mixing bowl until cocoa and flour are well incorporated into the sugar. Add melted butter; stir a little and allow to cool, then add the eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Nuts can be stirred into the batter or sprinkled on top after it's in the pan. Pour into a greased or cooking oil sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.

Notes:

The instructions say to cool, but who can wait for hot brownies? I say cut into squares and enjoy with a big glass of cold milk.

I enjoyed making this recipe when I was a single gal (a million years ago) living on my own, because it was easy to do the math to cut it in half!

If I'm making these to take someplace, sometimes I use pecan halves and place them in rows on the top before baking. The nuts get a wonderful roasted flavor, and they look much fancier than they really are (!)

Update: I linked this post to a Recipe Swap hosted by Gayle at the Grocery Cart Challenge. Check it out to find links to some recipe posts on other blogs.

Good cooking, and good eating!