Totoro Family Recipes: Fudge Brownie Pie

Today is National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day.

When I first discovered such a holiday... I immediately remembered a Chocolate Nut Pie my mom used to make. It was never considered a family favorite - so I'm not sure my children ever tasted it - but I remember the novelty of eating a circular brownie and thought I might share the recipe.

However, I wasn't quite sure where to find it. I knew Mom frequently used River Road Recipe cookbooks, so I began there. No luck.


I searched the other Junior League and church fundraiser cookbooks, but still no luck.

So I decided to cull through her recipe tin. What a journey to the past! I spent  several minutes looking at old childhood favorites (and many untried ones as well). I won't be lacking in Recipe posts for a while.

Some were in Mom's handwriting - a treasure in itself - but many were torn from magazines  or newspapers and preserved in these plastic sleeves. I wonder what I can learn about the past by analyzing these recipes? Sounds like another facet of my ongoing family history project.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Beat eggs in a large bowl.
2. Blend in sugar and melted butter.
3. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in a separate bowl - then add to the egg mixture.
4. Stir in vanilla and nuts.
5. Pour into lightly greased 8-inch pie pan.
6. Bake at 350 about 25-30 minutes (under- bake slightly for a moister pie)

The pie is good on its own... or you can make it especially indulging by topping with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream.

This post is part of BethFishRead's Weekend Cooking Link-Up. For more delicious recipes, please visit her weekly blog feature.