the best peanut butter chip brownies ever

i’m not going to lie, mostly because i have told you all how much i suck at baking.

really, suck isn’t even a good word to describe my inability to bake. baking in my house is usually a horror show. for reals.

and then i came across this recipe…food and wine to the rescue.

it couldn’t of sounded more simple…although i was missing a big ingredient. since i suck anyway i decided to just go for it, skip the ingredient and cut the recipe in half (mostly because i didn’t have enough cocoa). if it didn’t work it didn’t work. with my luck however i was expecting a big gooey mess.

the stars must have been aligned because not only did i make the best brownies ever, i made them again this week with the 8 boxes of girl scout cookies my husband accidentally ordered (that recipe to come).

the best peanut butter chip brownies ever adapted from food and wine magazine.

just a note: since i am baking i like to have all my ingredients around me. lucky me because there is not a big list here and everything really comes together quickly. one thing i do like to plan ahead is lining a baking pan. i use a 8.5 x 8.5″ pan. i line it with foil and set it aside. do not forget to line the pan with foil. that was one instruction i did not miss.

here is a step by step process to keep this recipe easy and simple.

1. pre-heat oven to 325.
2. in a saucepan cook the 2 sticks of butter over a low to medium heat. shake the pan every now and then but let the butter brown. this means you cook out all of the solids. it’s rather easy. it will start to foam, then you shake the pan, then little brown specks will start to form and sink to the bottom of the pot. the whole process take about 5 minutes. measure your chocolate chips when you start the butter and leave them next to the pot.
3. while the butter is browning, take out your mixer. to the mixer add 3 eggs, salt, the sugar and espresso powder (mix 1/2 tbl of powder with 1/2 tbl of water. you could of course use coffee but espresso powder really adds a nice flavor). beat for 5 minutes. the mixture will double in size.
4. when the butter is all melted and you see your little brown flecks turn off the oven and add your chocolate chips. whisk to everything is combined and smooth. set aside to cool for a minute or too.
5. back to the mixer. after 5 minutes add the cocoa. slowly add the butter and chocolate mixture.
6. add your peanut butter chips and mix.
7. scrape the batter into foil lined pan and bake at 325 for 50 minutes.

stay tuned…i used those girl scout cookies for my second batch.