Everyone should find their own perfect way of making brownies. After several batches of trial and error – done many years ago when my sons were still tiny little nuclear reactors and could burn all of those home-baked calories – these are the result of my experiments. I hope you enjoy them.

Chris’ Brownies

¾ c. Hershey’s cocoa

½ t. baking soda

2/3 c. vegetable oil

¼ c. boiling water

2 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. vanilla

2 T. Hershey’s syrup

Lightly grease a 13×9 inch pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cocoa and soda in a large mixing bowl and whisk to break up any lumps. Blend in 1/3 c. of the vegetable oil until smooth. Add the boiling water and stir until it thickens and all of the glossiness has disappeared. Add the sugar and mix until well combined. Combine the eggs with the rest of the oil, the salt and the vanilla and add it to the cocoa mixture, stirring until it is smooth. Add the flour a little at a time, mixing completely after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Cool slightly, before cutting into squares. The brownies will be a bit sticky and chewy.