Chewy Chocolate Squares

 This is my absolute favourite recipe for squares, and I know it will become yours, too.  Picture (taste!) this: a thick, gooey, creamy layer of chocolate with a chewy cookie on top and bottom.  It's so rich and sinfully delicious that I reserve this recipe to be used but once a year: Christmas! 

I can't claim to be the inventor of this recipe, nor can I tell you where I originally found it years ago (besides one of the many little product sponsored holiday baking leaflets stacked on my mom's cookbook shelf).  However, I am reproducing it here with apologies to the original creator with the best of intentions.  Today I chose to replace 1/2 cup of the white flour with whole wheat flour, and you can't even tell!

Ingredients
1 pkg (500 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (300ml) sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp butter
2 1/4 c. lightly packed brown sugar (I've cut this down to 2 cups)
2 eggs
1 c. butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
2 c. flour
1 c. chopped pecans (Since I'm not a fan of nuts in my baking, I always skip this ingredient and I've not heard anyone complain yet!)

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Goodness in a Bowl

 Preheat oven to 350 F.  Heat chips, condensed milk and 2 tbsp butter together over low heat (or in microwave at about 30% power)  Stir  until smoothly melted.  My preferred method is to do this in a double-broiler - it's so easy to burn chocolate while melting it, so doing it in a double broiler helps prevent ruining your chocolate.  TIP!  Be sure to add the sweetened condensed milk and butter to the bowl at the same time as the chocolate!  If you add room temperature products into melted chocolate, your chances of the chocolate seizing (hardening and becoming unusable) are much greater!

Cookie Dough All Ready to Go!

 Mix brown sugar and eggs together in large bow.  Add melted butter and vanilla, mixing until smoothly blended.  My KitchenAid is turning 1 year old this week, and I love it as much as I did when I unwrapped it last year!

Drop 2nd half of batter on top of chocolate layer by the spoonful.

 Spread half the dough in a greased 13x9 pan.  Spread chocolate mixture evenly over dough.  Dot spoonfuls of remaining dough on top.  Spread dough lightly with knife to cover chocolate.

 Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden.  Cool thoroughly before cutting into squares - this is important if you don't want your squares to fall apart!