Which kind of brownie-lover are you? Is your favorite high and cakey? Or skinny and fudgey? Sticky-sweet? Or rich with cocoa? There are so many different kinds. Personally, I like a bittersweet chocolate brownie. I like them fudgey, but not undercooked. I don’t like too much sweetness. I adore the additions of sea salt and espresso alike.
This recipe takes my favorite plain-ole brownies and dresses them up with natural peanut butter. I made them for a party recently and a friend commented that they reminded him of Thai food. If you execute the swirling technique properly they look like a beautifully striped tiger.
Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/3 cup natural, dark roasted peanut butter
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325
- Line an 8-inch square pan with foil and butter the foil
- Set a medium-sized heatproof bowl over a saucepan of water on a medium-low heat
- Put the butter in the bowl along with the chocolate and stir until they are melted- be careful to not overcook or to leave too long without stirring as the chocolate will scorch, then remove the bowl from the pan
- Using a whisk stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture
- Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition
- Add the vanilla and whisk again
- Stir in salt and flour
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the foil-lined pan and smooth to the edges
- Dollop peanut butter by the teaspoonful over the top of the batter and use a butter knife to swirl
- Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer the pan to a rack to cool completely
- Once cooled, turn the loaf out onto a cutting board, peel off the foil, and flip over for cutting: you’ll get 16 even squares
If peanut butter’s not your thing, a dark berry jam would do nicely for swirling- raspberry or blackberry or bilberry.