smooth peanut butter

It’s Friday and I made brownies. Today rocks.

 

I can’t get over how chilly the mornings have been getting now. It’s just past Labor Day so summer is ‘unofficially’ over but I still think it’s way too early for it to be this dark and chilly in the mornings. The dog doesn’t seem to mind but I’m taking note of it in fear of what’s to come.

 

I am enjoying the crisp clean air that is now present on mornings like this but it will only be a matter of time when it’s too cold for me to throw on one of Price’s sweatshirts and take the dog out. With the chill in the air all I can think of are an abundance of fall (ie apple and pumpkin) and how often I can turn the oven to give our house that extra cozy feel.

Well, brownies need the oven! And these brownies are TO-DIE-FOR so be sure to make them. Do it.

I picked these Reese’s Peanut Butter Brownies for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks. They’re racing in Virginia again and I gotta show some peanut love when they’re in Virginia. These are a follow up to the No Bake Peanut Butter Bars that I made earlier this year when they were in Richmond. Now that they are back at Richmond International Raceway I wanted another peanut butter treat and these were the perfect choice with the rich, fudgy, chocolaty brownie base studded with mini Reese’s and peanut butter swirled on top. No matter if your driver wins or looses, these Reese’s Peanut Butter Brownies are a real winner!!

Seriously, just look… these are kinda incredible.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Brownies

Makes an 8″ x 8″ tray of brownies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1- 8ounce bag of Reese’s minis
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

Directions

1. Preheat to 350 degrees. Line an 8″×8″ metal pan with parchment paper so there is an one inch overhang on 2 opposite sides of the pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt; set aside.
3. Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a double boiler, stirring frequently.
4. When the chocolate and butter are both melted and smooth, add 3/4 cup of the sugar to the mixture and stir for 30 seconds, Remove the mixture from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract. Put to the side to cool slightly.
5. Put the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixture and beat to combine.
6. Slowly pour half of the sugar and eggs mixture into the chocolate mixture, whisking gently but constantly so that the eggs don’t scramble from the heat.
7. Beat the remaining sugar and eggs mixture in bowl of the stand mixer on medium speed until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.
8. Begin to slowly drizzle the chocolate mixture into the whipped egg mixture while folding to incorporate. When the chocolate is almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients and the Reese’s minis.
9. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared 8″ × 8″ pan.
10. Dollop peanut butter evenly over the surface then swirl by dragging a small knife through batter and each dollop a few times.
11. Bake the brownies for 25-28 minutes on a rack placed in the center of the oven. The brownies will rise a bit and the top will turn dry and a bit crackly. When they are ready, they should be just barely set—not too raw, but still fairly gooey (the toothpick will have loose brownie dough stuck to it, but not a thick, goopy amount).
12. Cool the brownies in the pan on a  wire cooling rack. When they’re completely cool, use the overhanging parchment to remove them from the pan. Cut across to create 6 sections and then rotate and cut again to total __ pieces.

Note: To serve a crowd, the recipe doubles into a 9×13-inch pan. They may need a few extra minutes of baking, depending on your oven.

Sourced from Amandeleine