Brownies

2/3 cup butter, melted

¾ cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup boiling water

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped roasted walnuts

Mix cocoa with baking soda and half the melted butter, making a paste. Mix the boiling water into the paste gradually with a whisk, until the batter looks like rich chocolate frosting. Add sugar, eggs, the rest of the melted butter, and vanilla, and beat together with the whisk. Stir in flour with a rubber spatula. Mix in chips and walnuts—don’t do this until the flour is completely mixed in, or the batter will be too warm and will melt the chips. Spread in greased and floured 9 x 13 pan, preferably aluminum, as glass pans don’t work very well for this. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes, but check carefully, as this varies by oven. COOL COMPLETELY before cutting.