Nobody can resist the classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Nothing fancy about it, this is a fairly basic brownie that anyone would love and it's easy to make.
Substitutions:
If you don't have all the ingredients you can always substitute, carefully. For example, I didn't have unsweetened chocolate and since this recipe calls for 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate I just substituted 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, and then reduced the sugar by a bit later in the recipe. I also didn't have the instant coffee granules suggested in the recipe, but instead I used instant espresso powder, it turned out just fine. Also, feel free to add more peanut butter if you are a huge peanut butter lover.
This recipe is by the Barefoot Contessa but I halved it since the recipe was huge. I didn't make any other adaptations to it because it's already perfect.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 8 ounces plus 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 1 tablespoons instant coffee granules (or instant espresso powder)
- 1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/8 cups sugar
- 1/2 plus 1/8 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 in pan. Or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
Melt together the butter, 8 ounces of chocolate chips (save the rest for later) and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, sift together 1/2 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/8 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the prepared sheet pan.
Spoon the peanut butter over the top of the chocolate mixture and using a knife, swirl it through the chocolate mixture (You may first warm the peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds to make it easier to spread).
Spoon the peanut butter over the top of the chocolate mixture and using a knife, swirl it through the chocolate mixture (You may first warm the peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds to make it easier to spread).
Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes more or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into large squares.
