Easiest and Best Brownies Ever

I make these ALL the time -- the nephews and nieces in my husband's family worship me for them, and swear that NO ONE ELSE makes them as well as I do, even though their Mom has my secret and did the same thing for them at least once :) I've had party-goers ask if I'd share my secret -- and I giggle because I cheat so badly, but it works!

Make a box of brownie mix, following the recipe for the fudge-y textured brownies (who in their right mind likes cake-like brownies??? If you want cake, eat cake, not a brownie!!!) I generally find Pillsbury and Betty Crocker to be the best brands. Duncan Hines is OK too. Oddly enough, the more high-end brownies don't work as well -- I often find them too crumbly, and the really inexpensive store brands . . . well, they taste like the cost.

Before pouring them into a baking dish, add 1/2 of a bag of Ghiradelli chocholate chips to the mix -- I usually add milk chocolate because that's what my husband and I prefer, but there are many varieties, including white chocolate which is also delicious. There are other brands, and ones that are cheaper, and I've tried them all. Trust me -- none are better than Ghiradelli.

Pour the whole batter into a greased baking dish (cooking sprays work fine!) and then bake just as directed on the box, but set the over 25 degrees lower than suggested, and start checking them at about 5 minutes before the suggested time on the box. They are done the moment a toothpick goes into the middle and comes out mostly clean, with only a few crumbs or smidges of batter. The inside will still keep cooking as they cool so you won't have runny brownies.

There's the secret -- add really high quality chocolate chips, and underbake your brownies just a little bit. I promise, they'll be a hit everywhere you go and will take you less than 10 minutes to prepare and cut once they cool down.

One last little tip -- if you want to save some calories, you can substitute apple sauce for the oil in the brownie recipe and especially with all the chocolate chips in the mix, you'll never know the difference.

Enjoy!