1/2 lb buter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
18 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3 large eggs
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Melt butter, 1/2 of the chocolate chips and all of the unsweetened chocolate over a double boiler. Let cool. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add cooled chocolate mixture. Mix in flour and baking powder and salt. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and nuts. Put in a well buttered baking 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Refrigerate overnight.
(from my mom's friend)
Sam's notes: I usually mix up the chocolate with dark and extra dark bulk Stam chocolate, but I've used a mixture of semi-sweet and 60% Cacao chips (you don't have to use chips, but for the 2nd half of the slightly sweetened chocolate, you are going to want to chop it up). Any good, relatively dark chocolate would do. I don't think it'd be good to go above say 72% Cacao...since there is not a whole lot of sugar in the recipe (this is not a tested theory). I let the chocolate mixture cool for about 10 minutes, and that seems to work pretty well. Sometimes, you might get a nice butter crust on the bottom...and well...that tastes fantastic.
These brownies (more like bars) don't hold together well in heat, so keep them cool.