Brownies from Branford Fest's Young Bake-Off Champ

How long has eight-year-old Mark Hally, son of Branford Festival co-chair Mary Hally, been cooking?

"Since I was two," he says. His first kitchen concoction was a batch of pumpkin muffins. "But now," he says, "I just love anything with chocolate."

Mark's variation on a brownie recipe unearthed by his mother took Best in Contest at the 9th annual Baking Contest at the Branford Festival, judged by Branford's own cooking guru .

Mary found the recipe in The Art of Fine Baking by Paula Peck (1961.) Mark added both milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips and topped it off with the fudge topping. (He uses Smucker's.)

"Instead of globs of fudge, I wanted it to be mixed in all throughout," Mark says. He was inspired by his favorite place for treats, .

Here's how to make Mark's award-winning sweets (try them for dessert after your barbecue this weekend!)

Chocolate Brownies

By Mark Hally

• 6 ounces baking chocolate (unsweetened)
• ¾ cup butter
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1-½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• ½ cup fudge topping

Set oven at 325 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 11 x 16 jellyroll pan. Melt chocolate and butter together. Set aside to cool slightly.

Beat eggs and sugar together until fluffy. Add vanilla. Stir in chocolate mixture, then flour, salt and nuts. Mix only until combined. Toss inchocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan. Drizzle fudge topping over wet mixture.Bake about 25 minutes, or until top looks dry. Cool before cutting intosquares or bars.

Yield: approx 75.

For larger, thicker brownies, use 9 x 11 pan.