Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Katie

When I was little, my two favorite things to eat were hamburgers and chocolate. You could take or leave your pizza, popcorn, or fruity candy - I wouldn't have cared either way. But plop a nice piece of beef between two buns in front of me with a side of a Snickers bar and I swear I couldn't have been happier. I'm not joking. You would have been my best friend.

Now, I have a couple obsessions, too. Of course one of them is chocolate because, let's be honest, chocolate is and always will be my closest pal. But (sorry, hamburgers,) I have a new second favorite food, and that is peanuts. I don't care what condition they're in - smooth peanut butter, crunchy peanut butter, shelled, unshelled, salted, roasted, and even in a can of mixed nuts. A peanut is a peanut and I am nuts for them!

I think you can see where I am going with this. Ever since the invention of peanut butter cups, people have known what a blessing to mankind the combination of peanuts and chocolate is. So when I was going through my Martha Stewart Cookies book the other day (one of my favorite cookbooks) and I came across a recipe for PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL BROWNIES, well, I felt like God put it in that book just for me. My two favorite foods: peanuts and chocolate, swirled together harmoniously.

I could feel my waistline expanding just thinking about it.

So here is the recipe for maybe the best combination of chocolate and peanut butter I have ever tasted (and I have had a lot of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in my fifteen years, let me tell you.) My one recommendation: Share these. Because if left in the same room with no willpower, you can, and will, eat half the pan. Trust me, I know.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
From Martha Stewart's Cookies Book

For the Batter:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang. Butter lining (not overhang). Make batter: Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated. Make filling: Stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Pour one-third of batter into prepared pan; spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Drop dollops of peanut butter filling (about 1 tablespoon each) on top of batter, spacing about 1 inch apart. Drizzle remaining batter on top, and gently spread to fill pan. Drop dollops of remaining filling on top. Gently swirl peanut butter filling into batter with a butter knife, running the knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.