Every picnic needs a good dessert, and these brownie bars are a great option. They’re somewhere between brownies and cookie bars— hence, the name. They will pack really well, either precut of in the pan if you’re travelling to a picnic.

Chocolate Chip Brownie Bars

1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×9 x 1-3/4 inch pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture, the nuts, and chocolate chips until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.

** A couple of notes. I melted the butter and just mixed this all by hand, rather than messing with a mixer, and it worked out just fine. Altogether it took about 10 minutes to prepare. Also, feel free to use other stir-ins (the recipe is very forgiving). You could use chopped up candy bars or white or peanut butter chips— whatever is appealing to you.