Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

I’m always scouting for new things to try and prepare cuz it’s how I roll but I’m fussy about my brownies. Now I have a copycat Duncan Hines brownie recipe on the blog but I branch out from time to time and this recipe pleases me. The double chocolate is both cocoa and melted chocolate which gives you the firmer texture from cocoa and the moisture from melted chocolate. One note, when using cocoa, measure carefully since it’s flour-like and if you put too much in can dry out your brownie (or cake for that matter). I like the happy balance between the two and when you add the peanut butter (crunchy) you get a bit more fat to moisten them as well as the flavor and bits of peanut throughout the brownies. A happy medley in my book! There is no leavening in these- not baking powder or soda. This is not a mistake, it works and the final product is a decent height so don’t add any, the lack adds to the consistency which is pleasing albeit a drop more cakey. And no worries, you still get the light crackly top of a brownie so it’s all good.

Onward!

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F/180 C, then melt your butter/marg and chocolate together. The below chips are dark chocolate and add a lovely depth of flavor but you can swap out semi sweet if you wish.

I melt these together in the microwave about a minute or so (or till butter melts and then chips should be ready to stir) or if you don’t have one, heat the butter in a saucepan till hot but not boiling and immediately pour over the chips, cover briefly and stir, whisking together till melted and smooth.

Good. Now once you’ve melted the butter and chocolate together you can continue this in a mixer if you wish, as well.

Now I add the sugar to this even though it’s not terribly hot, just to make sure when I add the eggs they don’t get cooked from the heat.

And add the eggs.

And add the peanut butter.

Okey dokey. Whisk well together and you make sure the peanut mixture also gets completely incorporated and in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and cocoa.

Now add the two mixtures together and whisk well (or beat in the mixture). Scrape sides and bottom with a spatula to make sure there are no pockets of flour left.

As you can see the batter is quite thick. That’s as it should be.

Prepare a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper, cutting the corners so that the edges fold into each other and the paper fits nicely. Pour the mixture into the pan, scraping with a spatula and smooth out into the corner of the pan and even out the top.

Note how thick the batter is, no wiggling about, it stays put so if you have to use a bit of elbow grease to smooth into corners you haven’t done it wrong, just the opposite, that’s correct. Pop into the preheated oven and bake 25-30 minutes or till a wooden toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean. Don’t overbake. Cool on wire rack in the pan. When cool, you can cut right in the pan or remove with the parchment paper and cut as desired.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

225 grams or 1 cup butter/margarine
110 grams or 3/4 cup semi-sweet/dark chocolate chips
400 grams or 2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup or 67.5 grams chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 cups or 200 grams flour
1/3 cup or 35 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.

Melt together the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave, microwaving for about a minute or so or till butter is melted chocolate should be ready to stir smoothly together. Alternatively, heat butter in pot and when hot but not boiling, pour over chocolate, cover for a minute and stir till smooth. (At this point, if you wish, you can pour it into a mixer and continue). Add sugar to mixture and stir, then eggs and whisk till combined and peanut butter till mixed throughout. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder and salt till incorporated. Remember, there’s no baking soda or powder in this, no mistake! Add to the chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly leaving no flour pockets in mixture, scraping sides and bottom with a spatula.

Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan with a piece of parchment paper, snip the corners (or tear them) so they fit one into the other and sit properly in pan. Pour the brownie batter which should be quite thick into the pan pushing the batter into the corners evenly and smoothing the top and place in preheated over for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Don’t overbake since we want them moist! Let cool in pan on wire rack. To serve, either cut right in the pan or gently remove the cake with the ends of the parchment paper and cut as desired. Wonderful with a cup or coffee, tea or hot chocolate.