Ooey Gooey Kaplooey

Yes, I know it sounds weird, but that's what we call them. I don't remember who in the family came up with the name, but it's our brownie version of those molten chocolate cakes* that seem to be the rage lately.

When they come out of the oven, they look like your average brownies. However, beneath the crispy thin top crust lies a layer of chocolate ooey gooey goodness. They are best served warm, but I must sternly warn you. They are so chocolaty rich that if you eat too much too quickly, you might explode–hence, kaplooey. To prevent a chocolate overdose, I suggest serving the brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or tall glass of milk.

Liam, my 12 year-old, has been begging me to make these brownies for weeks. Since he had a tooth pulled today in preparation for braces, I thought he deserved them.

And I'm embarrassed to admit, the pan is empty.

Please ignore the creepy plastic clown. Certainly family 

members who shall remain nameless like to tease me about

my blogging obsession. They thought the clown would be

a nice touch. Just focus on the gooey chocolate. Mmmmm!

*I have a very simple recipe for molten lava cakes. I'll see about whipping some up in the near future and posting the recipe.

Ooey Gooey Kaplooie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, melted
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• ½ cup cocoa
  
• 1 ⅓ cups flour
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 2 Tbsps. vanilla
  
• 6-oz. semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 1 cup nuts (optional)
  

Grease and flour a 9"x13" glass pan. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, cocoa, and flour. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, and fold in the chocolate chips and nuts. Bake at 350˚ for 25 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes. Best eaten while warm.