Peanut Butter Frosted Brownies with Whipped Chocolate Ganache - SRC

Most people find a pan of brownies pretty irresistible, right?

How about if you cover the brownies with a layer of peanut butter topping?  Oh, don't stop there, let's add a layer of whipped ganache frosting!!

This pan of decadence got 2 big thumbs up from my crew of eaters. I never saw them eat their soup so fast, knowing this was waiting for dessert.

The recipe came from my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month, It's Yummi, where Chef Becca uses her culinary expertise to create and share from-scratch, mainly healthy recipes. She has a wealth of amazing recipes, like Key Lime Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust , Slow Cooker BBQ Baked Beans and one that Grant would cheer for  - Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Tart. 

(I need to ask for a tart pan for Christmas. Seriously, how have I baked for so long without one?)

All that to say, I thoroughly enjoyed browsing her blog and have found plenty of pin-worthy recipes to add to my list of things to try.

These brownies just sounded too good though. And they did not disappoint. I ended up halving her ganache layer ingredients - I mean, I LOVE ganache, but I figured we could cut the calories a little bit without sacrificing the flavor.

The peanut butter layer, which is just a package of peanut butter chips melted with some butter, hardened up more than I was expecting and I wondered if it would matter - turned out it added a nice texture variation and great flavor. Just don't expect it to be light and fluffy like a peanut butter buttercream frosting would be.

It still cuts fine with a sharp knife at room temperature, but I imagine if you chilled the brownies in the fridge, they would be harder to cut neatly.

These brownies were a huge hit and would be a great gift for that chocolate-peanut butter fan in your life.

Peanut Butter Frosted Brownies with Whipped Chocolate Ganache

from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

Yield: 9"square pan of brownies

Brownie Layer:

5 oz (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp) salted butter, room temperature

3.5 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

3.5 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3 oz (2/3 cup) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Peanut Butter Layer:

10 oz (1 bag) Reese's peanut butter chips

2 oz (1/2 stick) butter

Ganache Frosting:

5 ounces chocolate, finely chopped (I used mostly semi-sweet and some white chocolate)

4 ounces heavy cream

For the Brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line an 8 or 9" square baking pan with foil, extending up the sides by 2 inches. Spray with cooking spray.
3. Melt butter and chocolates in a medium bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one before adding the next.
4. Continue to whisk until mixture is completely smooth and glossy. Add flour and baking powder and stir just until incorporated.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with wet crumbs - about 20-25 minutes.
6. When the brownies have about 5 minutes left to bake, make the peanut butter filling.

For the Peanut Butter Layer:

1. Place the peanut butter chips and butter into a microwaveable glass bowl. Heat at medium power for 1 minute. Stir and continue to heat on medium power in 30 second intervals until the mixture is melted and glossy in appearance.
2. When the brownies come out of the oven, pour peanut butter mixture over the top of the warm brownies. Spread evenly over the top. Cool brownies completely.

For the Ganache: 

1. Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a simmer (do not boil). Pour cream over chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Place in refrigerator until completely chilled, whisking occasionally.
3. After ganache has chilled, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Spread on top of brownies.

Source: adapted slightly from It's Yummi

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