Valentine's Brownies

I love Valentine's Day. I even loved it when I was single because it's just a fun time of year to make goodies. These brownies are the perfect treat to make for your special someone ... or just make them for fun! :)

Valentine's Brownies (adapted from RecipeGirl)

1 lb. (4 sticks) butter

2 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 oz. unsweetened baker's chocolate

7 eggs

2 t. vanilla

2 1/4 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 tub chocolate fudge frosting

decorative sprinkles

In a large bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Set aside.

To melt the chocolate, place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water like so:

In the bowl, place butter and chocolates and melt (and stir) until smooth.

Take the melted chocolate off heat and let cool for about 20 minutes. Then, a little at a time, stir into the egg mixture.

Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Line a greased cookie sheet with parchment paper and then grease the parchment paper, too. (This allows for easy removal of the brownies.) Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 F for 25-35 minutes. Mine started to bubble over at about 25 minutes so I took them out!

Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight. Once they're firm, dump them out on a clean surface and peel the parchment paper off.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes. (Naturally for Valentine's Day I used a heart.)

Heat the tub of frosting in the microwave until warm and runny. Use a spoon to frost the brownies. Top with sprinkles.

I had a lot of scrap brownies left over. I think I'll freeze them to use later. They might work for this trifle recipe or for brownie pops. Maybe we'll just eat them. Enjoy!