Brown Butter Peanut Butter Brownies

Updated 11.17.2018.

I found a recipe for ‘chewy’ peanut butter brownies in the Penzeys Spices catalog. The last time I attempted peanut butter brownies, they were a total flop because I went rogue. I went a bit rogue again today when I crossed the Penzeys Spices catalog recipe with a recipe I’ve used to make Brown Butter Brownies (minus the cocoa powder, of course). Luckily today’s rogue attempt at peanut butter brownies was a success.

ingredients.

½ c. peanut butter
¾ c. butter, browned
1 T. light corn syrup
½ c. white sugar
⅔ c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ c. cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher style flake salt
2 c. peanut butter chips, divided
¼ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions.

Arrange a shelf in the center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Line an 8x8x2 inch pan with heavy-duty tinfoil. Spray with cooking spray.
In a heavy-bottom medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Heat until bubbles come up around the edge of the pan. Stir in corn syrup. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and stir. Stir in salt, vanilla and sugars. Stir in egg and egg yolks until well blended. Stir in flour and baking powder and blend well. Add 1 ½ c. peanut butter chips and stir until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Place on shelf and bake until brownies start to just pull away from the sides. **About 25 to 35 minutes. Err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking.
Remove from oven and top with remaining ½ cup peanut butter chips and ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack. When completely cool, invert onto a flat baking sheet, peel off the foil and re-invert onto a cutting board. Cut into two-inch squares. Makes 16 small brownies or four large ones.

**After 25 minutes I started to pull the brownies from the oven and they jiggled in the pan. So I left them in for five more minutes. Again they jiggled. Five more minutes later still jiggling. I got nervous and took them out. By this time the darkening browning edges had crowded toward the center so that only the very center remained pale. I was nervous a) the middle was undone b) the middle was fine but the edges were overcooked. Somehow it turned out to be neither. (Which perhaps means I could have taken the brownies out at 25 minutes or left them in there for 45?)

Eventually when the brownies had begun cooling they sank in the middle so that only the very edges of the brownies remained puffed up. I cut off the puffed up edges (I’ve never been a fan of dried edges of brownies anyway), and carved four very large brownies. Then something fantastic happened. I tasted the edges of the brownies remaining in the pan. They weren’t burnt or overcooked! In fact, it tasted perfect. Crispy and moist at the same time. I guess I could have left the edges on the brownies this time.

Last thing, I think this brownie could probably stand alone without the additional chips on top. (When ‘tasting’ the edges I found I liked the edges better without the additional chips.)

At last my roguish ways found a peanut butter brownie I would be proud to serve at my bakery (whenever the day comes that I actually own a bakery).

Recipe rating: 