Christmas Recipe: Brownie Petit Fours

Estimated cooking time: 55 minutes

Brownie Petit Fours Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts(optional)
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Hershey's Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate
* 3 tablespoons shortening(do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)
* Sprinkles or decorator’s icing(optional)

Brownie Petit Fours Cooking Instructions:

* Heat oven to 350°F. Line 9-inch square baking pan with foil; grease foil.
* Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl.
* Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired.
* Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
* Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from sides of pan.
* Cool completely in pan on wire rack; refrigerate about 2 hours.
* Using edges of foil, lift brownie out of pan.
* Peel off foil; cut into 1-1/4 inch squares and allow to warm up to room temperature.
* Line tray with wax paper. Melt small chocolate chips and shortening in small heavy saucepan over very low heat.
* Dip each brownie square into melted chocolate, covering completely. (Return to heat if chocolate cools and is hard to coat.)
* Gently tap on side of pan to allow extra chocolate to drip off. Place on prepared tray.
* Allow chocolate to set at room temperature or refrigerate until set (about 30 minutes); decorate as desired. (Sprinkles should be added just before chocolate sets.)
* About 3 dozen petit fours.