Fudgy Peanut Butter Brownies

A few weeks ago I had this really awesome dream. I was in some sort of brownie baking competition (probably for the Food Network, since I'm obsessed with them). The brownies I made were a peanut butter swirl brownie, topped with a layer of peanut butter, and finished with a chocolate marshmallow frosting. They were really awesome, and were set to win the competition. When they announced the winner, it wasn't me; I got 2nd place instead. I later came to find out that the winner had paid the judges to pick his brownies. What a corrupt world we live in when we can't even trust brownie judges. Anyway, I mentioned this dream on Facebook, and was encouraged to make the dream brownies, so, here we are. They turned out pretty darn good, competition winning, I'm not sure, but tasty nonetheless.

Ingredients:
For the Brownies:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter
2 TBS shortening
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup chocolate pudding mix (I don't know how that translates as far as boxes go, I have a giant container of the stuff for baking purposes)
2 TBS cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
another 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

For the swirl:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sour cream
2 TBS milk

For the toppings:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup marshmallow creme
1/4 cup butter (softened)
2 cups powdered sugar
3 TBS cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 TBS milk

To make your brownies, start by melting the first 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Mine was a bit of a heaping 1/2 cup, but I'm sure a level one would work okay too. I heat mine in the microwave, just long enough until a few chips look melty, then I stir until the rest of them join suit.

Heaping Half Cup

After the chocolate is melted, set is aside and let it cool. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat until they start to get foamy. After the foam forms, add the sugar, butter, and shortening and beat them all until smooth.

Foamy eggs, starting to get some additions.

Add the remaining brownie batter ingredients to the bowl, including the melted chocolate, but not including the second 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and mix until well combined. Fold in those remaining chocolate chips, if desired. I like the little chocolate chip pieces, you may not. I made them optional so that you have to decide instead of me. I sometimes suck at making decisions.

Completed Batter.

Once your batter is complete, pour it into a greased 9X13 pan and start to make your swirl. Since the swirl calls for peanut butter, and it can sometimes be a pain to measure, I have a little helpful hint. Spray your measuring cup with non-stick spray before adding the peanut butter. It will slide right out, making much easier clean up.

Greased cup for easy peanut butter removal.

Do be careful though, because sometimes the peanut butter slides out a little too easily...

Peanut Butter Floor.

And it ends up all over your floor. Then you get cooking, forget it is there...

Peanut Butter Foot.

And it ends up all over your foot! Anyway, back to the recipe. Place all three ingredients for the swirl in a small sauce pan. Mix them together, over medium-low heat until they are all combined. Don't worry, it is supposed to look like a goopy mess.

Swirl Goop.

Take the goopy mess, and drop globs onto the brownie batter.

Peanut Butter Drops.

Then take a knife and swirl the globs around.

Swirled Batter.

Bake, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the pan (learned that one from Betty Crocker, which I used to help me get started on this recipe).

Baked Brownies.

While the brownies are still hot, spread the peanut butter (from the topping ingredients) over top. You want to do this while the brownies are warm, so that the peanut butter melts a little bit therefore makes it easier to spread.

Peanut Butter Topped.

While the brownies are cooling, it's a good time to make the frosting. It's really not very difficult. Mix together all ingredients, other than the milk. Once everything is well incorporated, add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.

Completed Frosting.

Now the real hard part comes. You have to wait until the brownies are completely cool before you frost them. Once they reach cool status, spread the frosting on top, cut the brownies, and enjoy.

Brownie Deliciousness.

These brownies are both moist and chewy, that's pretty awesome if you ask me. While I enjoyed the brownies as is, they would be great in several other ways too. If you are not a peanut butter fan, just leave out the swirl and the peanut butter layer on top. Want a different frosting? Go for it. In fact, I think they would be good totally frosting-less. They are multifunctional brownies and can be molded to fit your needs.