The first rule of entertaining: always stash some for yourself. Especially when it comes to dessert. Because after the crowd of tipsy beer-fanatics have their way with the dessert tray, there won’t be a solitary crumb left. In hindsight, perhaps this particular dessert wasn’t the best choice for an outdoor gathering that day, considering the humidity had to be at least 327% (in other words, downright sticky). But the fact that the topping was melting all over everyone’s hands didn’t stop them from devouring the whole tray.
What starts as a seemingly ordinary brownie gets sprinkled with chocolate chips and peanut butter cup candies, baked until they just start to melt and puddle, and then topped with a double thick layer of crispy chocolate and peanut butter paradise. It’s like brownie meets rice krispie treat meets peanut butter cup… meets my mouth. This recipe comes from my friend Averie’s delightful new cookbook, called Peanut Butter Comfort. An entire book about peanut butter? I’m sold. But of course I flipped right to the peanut butter and chocolate chapter, as that is where my true heart lies. (Also, if the idea of a peanut butter cookbook makes you giddy like a schoolgirl, you don’t want to miss tomorrow’s post!) And remember, even though it seems like a 13-by-9-inch pan makes more than enough, wrap up a few bars and tuck them in a dark corner of the fridge, maybe behind the broccoli or the who-knows-how-old-it-is jar of whatnot where the other members of your household won’t think to look. Trust me. Your future self will thank me later.
Total Time: 3 hours
