Brownies

I have been making this recipe for years.  It is very easy and one of the best I have tried.
I never but nuts in them, even though my dad always asks me to.  I love them just plain, or with my butter cream icing with cocoa powder mixed into it to make it chocolatey.

Here is what you need:
2 unsweetened chocolate squares
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
200 ml flour
2 ml salt
3 ml baking powder
5 ml vanilla
1/2 chopped nuts (optional

Move both oven racks as low as they go in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees.
Melt the 2 chocolate squares in the microwave in a large bowl.
Once melted, mix in shortening until combined.
Add sugar until combined, then quickly beat in each egg one at a time.
Add the vanilla, mix, and scrape edges to prepare for the dry mixture.
Put the flour, salt, and baking powder in and mix well (add nuts if you choose to).
Grease a 9 x 9 square pan with cooking spray (or 8 x 8 if you want them thicker).
Bake @ 350 for 25 to 35 minutes depending on pan and oven. A toothpick should come out of middle of brownies clean.