BLACK AND GOLD BROWNIES

PG tested

Every party needs some sort of dessert, and brownies fit the bill for a tailgate. These get the blackand-gold treatment with the addition of yellow M&Ms. It’s a pain to sort them from the bag, but they add a colorful home team touch. I added chopped pecans, but you could sub in walnuts or almonds.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder Generous pinch of salt

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped, or more to taste

1/4 to 1/3 cup gold or yellow M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Line bottom with parchment or wax paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Butter paper; set pan aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

Place butter and semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, and heat in microwave, 10 seconds at a time, until smooth, stirring occasionally. Stir in cocoa powder and oil. Add sugars, eggs, vanilla and flour mixture; stir to combine well. Stir in M&Ms and pecans, if using, then transfer batter to pan with a spatula.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs attached (or sooner to make sure they’re soft). Cool completely before slicing into squares.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. These also freeze well.

Makes 16 brownies.