Raspberry Brownies

It's hard to find a homemade brownie recipe that delivers the taste/texture we have come to expect from the better boxed brownie mixes without also requiring a million different steps during the recipe process. This recipe delivers great taste and texture using a very simplified method that is nearly as quick and easy as a boxed mix.

Recipe from back of raspberry chocolate chip bag (Hershey's)

1 10-oz. bag raspberry chocolate chips*
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
powdered sugar (optional)

*raspberry chips are often in the stores around the holidays. You can substitute 1 2/3 cups regular semisweet chips.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8-inch square baking pan. Combine raspberry chips and butter in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Remove from heat. Add eggs and vanilla (I tempered my eggs a bit by adding a little of the warm chocolate to the eggs before adding them to the chocolate/butter mixture); stir until well blended. Add flour, sugar and baking powder; stir until well blended. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Sift powdered sugar over top, if desired.

About 20 brownies, according the package. We NEVER get that many brownies out of an 8 x 8-inch pan!