As many of you know, and if you didn’t know – now you do, I will be leaving Austin in a few weeks to move to Minnesota for a new job. I moved here almost 8 years ago with two carloads worth of stuff and a KitchenAid mixer that I got as a graduation present. Being someone who isn’t the most outgoing nor do I find it easy to carry a conversation, I spent most of my time learning how to bake and then tried to make friends by sharing those baked goods. One of the first things I made were these brownies because it seemed to be easy enough of a recipe and I could use my mixer for a lot of the steps. I’m not saying these will absolutely make you friends, but the person I shared them with became one of my best friends and I gave a speech at her wedding so maybe just give it a try. Of course, now I have made it enough times and often don’t reach for the big mixer so this is completely doable with just a hand mixer.
It’s really adaptable to whatever your preferences are – boxed brownies or homemade, whatever brand of peanut butter, dark/milk/white chocolate topping – there are no rules for this.
If you want to make it along with me, you can watch this YouTube video!
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Topped Brownies
Ingredients
1 pan (I used a 9X13 pan but 8X8, 9X9 will be great!) prepared brownies
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
7-8 oz chopped chocolate (2 large bars)
1 cup heavy cream, separated into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
Instructions
Prepare brownies according to box or recipe instructions. Set aside once cooked through.
In a large bowl, add the 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup peanut butter and use a hand mixer or whisk to mix together until smooth. Once you can no longer tell the difference between the peanut butter and butter, add in the 1 tbsp vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. In 1/4 cup increments, start adding powdered sugar and mix until combined, repeating until the desired flavor is reached and adding a tsp of heavy cream at a time while mixing the peanut butter and powdered sugar to make the frosting smooth and the consistency of mayo. Set aside.
If you’re going to assemble immediately, continue. If you’re going to assemble in a few hours/next day, save this step until you’re ready to assemble.
In a heat-proof bowl, add the 7-8oz chopped chocolate. In a different heat-proof bowl or measuring cup, heat the cream until hot but not boiling and pour over the chocolate. Let steep for a few minutes to allow for the cream to melt the chocolate, and then whisk until smooth. Assemble immediately.
To assemble, take the brownies and spread the peanut butter frosting over the top in an even layer. If the brownies are completely cooled, continue on to the chocolate but if they’re still a little warm, put the brownies and peanut butter frosting in the fridge to firm up.
Add the chocolate ganache to the top of the peanut butter frosting, again smoothing out as needed to create an even layer. Place in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
Cut into individual brownies and keep in the fridge. Can last up to a week in the fridge, or 2 months in the freezer.
Happy Eating!
Kelly
