Brownie Pops

This is a dangerous recipe.  I could eat six of these in a single sitting if I let myself.  Possibly more.

Brownie Pops

1 box family-size brownie mix, plus what the box says you need to make brownies
24 (or more) lolipop sticks
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 1.55-oz Hershey's bars -- broken into pieces
1 Tbsp shortening
Sprinkles, if desired

Prepare the brownies as directed on the box.  Bake in a 9"x9" pan until they're almost done, but not quite -- the toothpick should come out with stuff sticking to it, but the center of the brownies shouldn't be liquidy or goopy anymore.

Cool brownies completely.  Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.  Cut off the edges and keep them for eating later, feed them to your kids, quick eat them when no one is looking, whatever.  Crumble up the rest of the brownies in a medium bowl and mix them around with your hands so that the crusty top part is kind of evenly distributed (you don't want one brownie pop that is just all crusty and weird, you see).

Form this brownie glop into balls -- I made 24 about the size of a ping-pong ball, but you can make them bigger or smaller, as you desire.  Put them all on your waxed-paper-lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

When the brownie balls are good and solid, but the Hershey pieces, chocolate chips, and shortening in a microwavable (glass is best) container and microwave it 30 seconds at a time until they're totally melted, stirring in between each 30-second stint.

Take the brownie balls out of the freezer.  Dip a lolipop stick about half an inch into the melted chocolate, then stick into a brownie ball.  Dip the whole brownie ball in the melted chocolate, let the excess drip off a bit, then set back on the baking sheet or in a fancy-shmancy (aka I Don't Have One Yet) cake-pop-drying-rack thingie.  Sprinkle with sprinkles if you want to.  Allow the chocolate to harden.  Lick out the melted chocolate bowl when you're done to keep yourself from eating the cake pops right then and there.

Makes about 24, depending on how big you make them.