Brownies (These were my 'go to' in the 70's and 80's)

I know this recipe is a bit 'labor intensive', but,.........before I needed to spend more time milking cows and ending up making 'brownies from a box', this was my very best recipe.  It was given to me by Dolores (my aunt-in-law).  I'd get those little marshmallows put on the hot brownies, stick the pan 'into the cold' until they got firm before spreading the frosting on.  After that, I'd again put them 'back into the cold' until they were getting close to 'solid' before lifting that 'chocolate slab of goodness' out of the pan and, using my longest knife, cutting them on my cutting board-- being cold, their cut edges were so clean/sharp/pretty (party perfect)!    Seeing this recipe again is making me 'miss' them-- I'll have to do a re-run of these and find out if they taste as good as I remember! 
(Smiling!)

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INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. block of unsweetened chocolate*

2/3 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat oven to 350-degrees

2.  Grease/spray 9x13-inch pan, or line with aluminum foil with leaving 'lift out tabs' on edges.

3.  Melt shortening and chocolate over low heat.

4.  Mix in sugar, eggs and vanilla.

5.  Stir in remaining ingredients.

6.  Spread in greased pan, or on 'greased foil' liner.

7.  Bake about 30-min. (or until sides begin to pull away from the pan).

8.  When 'done', I immediately place a layer of miniature marshmallows over top

 of hot brownies (you can use large marshmallows if you snip them into thirds).

9.  I stick the pan back into the oven that's already been turned off-- I leave it in there

 only long enough for the marshmallows to get soft enough for me to spread them.  (If you leave them 'unspread', their layer will just be quite a bit higher.)

10.  I spread out the marshmallow layer and then stick the pan into the refrigerator (or freezer) just long enough for the marshmallow layer to get 'cold/stiff'.  Once that happens, I add a thin layer of butter/chocolate/powdered sugar frosting.

11. Sometimes, after the previous step, when I wanted 'party perfect' brownies, I'd lift the brownie slab out the pan by holding the foil "lift tabs" I'd left when I lined the pan and, atop their inverted pan, put them back into the freezer so that I could cut them after they were very cold/firm.  By cutting the cold brownies on my cutting board with my longest knife,  they really did look 'party perfect'!

* An extra HINT!  For rich chocolate desserts try Hershey's cocoa in recipes calling for baking chocolate by substituting 3 level tablespoons of cocoa + 1 tablespoon shortening or oil for 1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened baking chocolate.

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Who'd have guessed anyone could/would make 'brownies' sound this complicated to make, huh!  (It's not really that bad, though.)  I'll post a picture of these when I make them.