If there is a birthday party, I bringing a baked good to it. A few months ago, I asked my friend what he’d like for his birthday. “Any peanut butter and chocolate combo,” was the reply. Now, what I didn’t realize (and what he thought I knew) was that he doesn’t have a sweet tooth.
This could have been one of those birthday gifts you don’t want to receive again. Fortunately, the fudgy brownies—dotted with peanut butter and chocolate chips, plus peanuts topped with flaky sea salt—were an ace.
Now these can be in your kitchen. Or, share the deliciousness and take them to a birthday celebration.
Double Chocolate, Double Peanut Brownies | Credit: Melanie Cohen
Chewy Double Peanut, Double Chocolate Brownies
slightly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa
- ½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup peanut butter chips
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. (If using a glass pan, reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees F and bake for the same amount of time.)
- Whisk cocoa powder and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the melted butter and oil (mixture may look curdled—don’t worry, you’re good). Add the eggs, yolks and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated. Add the flour and salt and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and the peanut butter chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Coat batter evenly with crushed peanuts. Sprinkle sea salt over peanuts. Bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 1½ hours.
- Using the foil overhang, lift the brownies from pan. Place the brownies on the wire rack and cool completely, about 1 additional hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.
Double Chocolate, Double Peanut Brownies | Credit: Melanie Cohen
Bipartisan Baking 