Peanut Butter Brownies

This is the first recipe I ever made by myself. This is the recipe that sparked my love for baking. I made these over the weekend because we were hosting some friends for dinner, and I was surprised to find that they are EASY! I remember making these as an 11-12 year old and struggling with melting the chocolate without burning it, getting the icing to a good consistency, drizzling the chocolate over the tops... Well much has changed since then, and hopefully I can provide some helpful tips that will make these easy for you too!

First of all, this recipe is from a Canadian Living magazine which was released in December 2007! I didn't remember that this recipe was from a Christmas magazine, but maybe that's why I love it so much! Second, I served these hours after they were prepared (they were still a little warm) and I was underwhelmed. They were good, but I couldn't remember why I loved them SO much. Fast forward 24 hours after they had been refrigerated over night & they were even better!! I recommend serving these chilled!

Start by melting 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 4 oz of unsweetened chocolate, 1/3 cup of butter and 1/3 cup of peanut butter at room temperature in a medium saucepan. I melt these ingredients over pretty low heat - the heat on my stove top is measured from 1-10 and I melted this on a 3. It takes a bit of time but cooking at a lower heat reduces the chance of burning. I also recommend stirring this the whole time it's on the stove, keeping the ingredients moving will also reduce the risk of burning.

Once the chocolate/butter/peanut butter mixture is smooth transfer it from the saucepan to a medium sized mixing bowl and leave it to cool for about 10 minutes.

Whisk in 2 cups of white sugar. *Note: the magazine suggested whisking, but I actually found this to not be the best option because the batter gets thick and ends up piling inside the whisk. I think the sugar could be mixed in with a spatula or wooden spoon just as well as a whisk!

Next, mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 4 eggs 1 2/3 cups of all purpose flour and a pinch of salt.

Line a 9x13" baking dish with parchment paper... I do this for less mess, but you could grease your dish instead. Pour the batter into the dish and spread it out using a spatula.

Bake the brownies for 350°F for 25-30 minutes. 

For the icing, whip together 1/3 cup of softened butter, 1/4 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 cups of icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk with an electric mixer.

Once the brownies are out of the oven, let them cool for about a half hour before spreading the icing over them. Spread the peanut butter frosting over the top of the brownies. Melt 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small dish to drizzle over the top of the brownies. I make this pattern over the tops of my brownies by drizzling horizontal lines of chocolate and dragging a knife vertically through the lines in different directions. However, when I was just starting out, I would drizzle the chocolate in any which way!

Cut the brownies and store them in a sealed container in the fridge until you are ready to serve!

PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES
ingredients
for the brownies...
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
for the topping...
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, butter and peanut butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Once smooth, take the chocolate mixture off the heat, transfer it to a medium mixing bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
2. Stir sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour and salt into chocolate mixture until well combined.
3. Line a 9x13'' baking dish with parchment or grease it and pour the batter into the baking dish. Use a spatula to even out the batter around the baking dish.
4. Bake the brownies for 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
5. For the icing, whip softened butter, peanut butter, vanilla, icing sugar and milk together using an electric mixer.
6. Once the brownies are cooled, spread the peanut butter icing over the top and drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the peanut butter icing.

Enjoy!
Kenzie