FACT: I love brownies.
Most people do. But in the baking world, they kind of get a bad rep because they aren't technically challenging to make. Let's face it, they're basic. So much so that Bon Appetit endorses store-bought mix. I happen to like the homemade variety because I like my brownies to be aggressively rich and goopy, which if you did not know is the scientific term for when something isn't sure if it's a solid or a liquid, but leans more toward solid. Box mixes tend to yield "cakey" brownies, which I am almost never in the mood for. If I want something cakey, I'll eat cake. If you like cakey brownies, then seek a recipe elsewhere.
Now that the cakey brownie lovers are gone, here's the anecdote you might skip anyway.
These were initially developed to celebrate a colleague's birthday back from my days teaching second grade. It was during this time that I also began my Instagram account to hold myself accountable for baking more. This meant I was always bringing in treats for my co-workers, who were excellent taste testers. I miss them dearly. I recall sharing many treats with them, such as salted caramel doughnuts, guayaba pastelitos, lemon blackberry whoopie pies...
I initially imagined these brownies like a sandwich: two layers of brownie with a streak of peanut butter in the middle. I went so far as to put half the batter in the pan, freeze it, top with an even spread of peanut butter, freeze it, spread the rest of the batter on top, allow to sit at room temp, then bake.
No one will ever do that in real life.
For what it's worth, there's something more magical about the sloppy, unfrozen method of layering. The layers of batter somehow meet in the middle, creating a system of peanut butter channels that puddle to the surface.
I must admit, this brownie is not for the faint of heart. Not that they're hard to make (they're not), but they are incredibly rich. Though most folks opt for Dutch process cocoa or just standard unsweeneted cocoa, I opt for Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder and add lots of of espresso powder to punch up the chocolateyness. Additionally, the tacky peanut butter fights its way forward, but you could substitute any nut butters or tahini if you're in the mood for something less aggressive -- or omit the nut butter altogether. I'm also a firm believer that every dessert needs lots of salt, so don't be alarmed if you see me dumping salt into my sweet recipes from here on out.
I developed this recipe prior to owning a kitchen scale and the weights were guesstimates, but I have since tested this with the weights and the resulting brownies are divine. So choose to be exacting or not, the end result will still be delicious.
Despite all these disclaimers, I truly hope you give these a shot. They're so basic you'd think they came with Uggs and a pumpkin spice latte, and you only need thirty minutes. Take that, Rachael Ray!
So do yourself a favor this quarantine. While everyone else is making sourdough, tackle a project with a higher success rate.
With peanut butter on the roof of my mouth,
~c.j.
GOOPY PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES
PREP WORK: 5 minutes.
BAKE TIME: 25 minutes.
YIELD: 16 small brownies, or 8 medium brownies, or 4 sharable-dessert brownies to be served a la mode like at a fast-casual restaurant chain, or 1 brownie for you to eat while drowning your sorrows and rewatching Tiger King.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Hershey's Special Dark)
1/2 cup (65 g) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (120 g) creamy peanut butter, or any nut butter/tahini, melted
flaky salt for topping (or kosher salt)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, salt, espresso powder, and baking powder to combine. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, vanilla extract, and sugar until fully combined and sugar begins to soften. Add eggs one at a time, whisking to incorporate. Mixture should lighten in color. Add to the flour mixture, whisking until just combined. Batter should be very thick.
To a greased and parchment lined 8"x8" baking pan, add half of batter and spread to an even layer. (To make removal of brownies easier, allow for parchment to hang over the sides of the pan. This will create "handles" so you can list the brownies from the pan and neatly cut and serve them.)
Pour peanut butter over layer of batter, spreading to create a full layer. The peanut butter layer does not need to be even, but should cover the full surface. Top with remaining batter in small globs across the surface. Do your best to spread the batter over top -- because it's a thick batter, it's not going to spread all that well, so do not try to make it a perfect layer. As it bakes, the batter will spread a little and help cover the rest of the peanut butter.
Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until batter is set. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Allow to cool roughly 10 minutes before attempting to move to a cooling rack. For best slicing, allow to sit in fridge for an hour before slicing. (If you're impatient, 20 minutes in the freezer will do). Slice and serve!
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