Shortbread Brownies

I made these brownies for the brunch I went to the other day. You know, something light and brunch-y, like dark chocolate brownies with shortbread.

A brownie is just not enough, now it needs to have a shortbread crust.

It's a Better Homes and Gardens Recipe (printable version here) and it would be really easy and fast... unless your a scatterbrained mess like me.



Preheat your oven to 350. Line 9x9x2 inch baking pan with foil with the foil coming out over the sides. You're going to use that as handles to lift the bars out later.

In a bowl mix 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar.

Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/2 cup butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.



Of course, I couldn't find my pastry blender (and didn't think about my mixer or food processor) and used both a potato masher (really?!) and my fingers.

Stir in 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Actually, I just chopped up some regular chip. I didn't read the directions carefully and added 3 times the correct amount of chips.



Press it all into the pan and bake for about 8 minutes.



In a large bowl combine 1 1/3 granulated sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.

I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa... so glad to finally have it in the stores around here.

Add 3 eggs, 1/3 cup melted butter and 1 tbs vanilla. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate pieces and spread over crust.

This is when I realized that we only had 1 egg. It was 10 pm the night before the brunch and I was tired. So I went to bed and decided to finish the brownies in the morning.



I neglected to take anymore pictures but B got up and went to the store. I mixed the remaining ingredients and poured it over the crust.

Only I forgot to add the chocolate chips, so I just threw some on top of the batter.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

At this point I went to pull the brownies out and realized.... the oven wasn't on.



Eventually the brownies were completed and despite my spastic recipe making they turned out really good. I might change up the recipe next time and do regular cocoa with dark chocolate chips. Tons of possibilities.



Careful though, eat too many of these and you'll end up with fat sausage fingers, dimples instead of knuckles and rubberband wrists!