"Wonderland" Excessively Crunchy Peanut Butter Brownies
By: Jo Ann
Published: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - 1:35pm

Ingredients




Ingredients for Brownie Batter:
1 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups tightly packed light brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 pound unsalted butter, cut into 1-ounce pieces
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Ingredients for Topping:
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

Preparation

1 Directions: 2 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 3 Toast the peanuts on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the peanuts to room temperature before chopping by hand with a cook's knife into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside. 4 In a sifter combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift onto a large piece of wax paper and set aside until needed. 5 Place the light brown sugar, peanut butter, unsalted butter, and the corn syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium for 4 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium for 2 more minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium for 1 minute and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat on medium for 1 minute. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the sifted dry ingredients until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup shopped peanuts (the remaining peanuts are for the topping) and beat on medium for 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the i 6 Transfer the batter to a 9x13x2-inch nonstick baking pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter in an even layer. Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour before finishing with the topping. 7 Heat the heavy cream in a 1-1/2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. 8 Place the chopped semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and stir with a whisk until smooth. Congratulations... you have just created ganache! 9 Pour the ganache over the cooled brownie. Use a cake spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the entire surface of the brownie. 10 Combine in a 3-quart bowl the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and the remaining 3/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts. 11 Sprinkle the chips and nuts evenly over the ganche. Refrigerate the brownie for 1 hour before cutting. This will make the ganche layer firm enough to cut. 12 Use a serrated knife with rounded tip to cut the brownie into 24-2-inch squares. For a clean cut, heat the blade of the knife under hot running water and wipe the blade dry before making each cut. Serve immediately or store the brownies in a tightly sealed container.