Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Guys, someone needs to stop me. I am addicted to brownies (1 2). Is there a brownie helpline I can call? This is not good for my waistline, not good at all. Please send help!
However, it is absolutely glorious for my taste buds. These brownies can only be described as outrageous. Nothing should be allowed to taste this good; these babies are downright sinful! They include both dark chocolate and semisweet, but where is the third type of chocolate to complete the trifecta? In the peanut butter! Yes. I've had a mostly finished off jar of white chocolate peanut butter chillin' in my pantry for the past year. It's a bit too sweet for the typical PB&J, but it's absolutely perfect in these brownies! Peanut butter and chocolate are just one of those classic combos that I can't get enough of. Oh and by the way, this is the first time I have used peanut butter chips because I am obviously some kind of fool, but OH. MY. GOSH. They are like the creamy insides of Reese's Pieces!
These are fudgy brownies, NOT cakey. Cakey brownie lovers might as well leave now because you're so not welcome here *points to the door* (Juuust kidding! ...or am I?!), but fudgy brownie lovers, get in your kitchens and bake these on the double and then prepare to be in complete and utter awe.


I made these for my boyfriend's curling league, and let me just tell you- someone else happened to bring brownies too, and theirs just sat there all sad while mine were gobbled up in no time at all :D.

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

recipe generously adapted from here

makes 16 brownies 

(or 32 if you cut the little squares in half creating triangles like I later did!)

ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder (you can use regular unsweetened if you have it on hand)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter)
• 4 ounces dark chocolate
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter (of course you could use regular peanut butter, but then they would only be double chocolate peanut butter brownies)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla paste (or extract)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish and line with parchment paper; grease the paper too. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the melted chocolate/butter and sugar for a couple of minutes. Add in the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter. Beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the flour mixer. Beat until just combined.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips over the top.
6. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the edges are puffed and the center looks set. Do not overbake (like I may have done just a weence, shhh)!
7. Cool completely before slicing. It's best to refrigerate them first and then slice (I, personally, think).

White Chocolate Mascarpone Pistachio Brownies with Cardamom-White Chocolate Sauce

Okay, I am clearly having a brownie thing lately. It happens, you know? Anyways, I got the idea in my head a few days ago for a white chocolate brownie, and since then, I could not stop thinking about it! The thought intrigued me; I've never had, let alone seen a white chocolate brownie before, but I imagined that they would be elegant and unique.

I remembered how gorgeous my Mascarpone Brownies with a Honey-Chocolate Sauce turned out and I thought it would be interesting to adapt the recipe for a white chocolate brownie. Naturally, I had to change up the flavor profile, so I added in some pistachios. I also replaced honey in the sauce with cardamom which pairs magically with the pistachios. 

These white chocolate wonders turned out far better than I could have hoped for. Though, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable calling them brownies. They seem to be in a category all their own. They are soft, yet fudgy, and so unusual that they are sure to wow your friends and family. Plus, they are far easier to make then they appear (and sound, boy is that title a mouthful)!

White Chocolate Mascarpone Pistachio Brownies

recipe generously adapted from here

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup + 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped (or you can use chips; I used disks from Whole Foods)
• 8 ounces mascarpone (my container had actually 8.8 ounces so I just threw it all in)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped, roasted pistachios (plus more for garnish)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Melt the white chocolate and 1/2 cup of butter together in microwave, checking and stirring every 30 seconds.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, 6 tbsp butter, and sugar until combined. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add in the vanilla and mix to combine. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and beat until combined.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
6. Stir in the pistachios by hand.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the brownies are set and top is golden-brown.
8. Remove from oven and allow them to cool to room temperature. Then, pop them in the fridge so they get nice and chilled. Trust me, they are FAR better cold and much easier to cut. Serve with warm Cardamom-White Chocolate Sauce and a garnish of chopped pistachios (the cold brownies with the warm sauce is totally where it's at.)

Cardamom-White Chocolate Sauce

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 cardamom pods, crushed
• 5 ounces white chocolate

1. Place the cardamom pods with seeds in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir until pods brown, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. Turn the heat off and cover. Let steep at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then strain out the cardamom pods and seeds.
3. Return the now cardamom infused cream to the stove and bring to a light boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate until fully melted and combined.
4. Server warm over the brownies!

Cinnamon Hazelnut Brownies

I have been having the most incurable chocolate cravings lately! I don't even know why because normally, I'm not so much of a dessert person (odd considering how much I love to bake, but usually I only try one or two of whatever I make, and then offload the rest onto others). But, these past couple of weeks the cravings have been unrelenting and nothing, not even dark chocolate M&M's or Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, could cure them!
Alas, my search continued. But then, then I found these. These glorious, wonderful, amazing squares of rich, fudgy goodness and the incessant lust for chocolate was finally quashed!
I have Sugar Plum to thank for this; her spectacular Cinnamon Hazelnut Brownie recipe combines two of my very favorite chocolatey things: brownies and Nutella. Need I say more? No, probably not, but I will.
These brownies are chewy and dense with a slight spice from the cinnamon and a whole lotta crunch from the hazelnuts. They're pretty close to the best brownies around, in my humble opinion (and I have made some pretty magnificent brownies like these Mascarpone Brownies with a Chocolate Honey Sauce or these Cheesecake Brownies). I implore you, run to your kitchen and bake these immediately!

Cinnamon Hazelnut Brownies

recipe slightly adapted from here
makes 16 amazing brownies

ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch-processed)
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup Nutella (I actually used a different brand, Loacker, because that was what was at my grocery store, but the taste is the same)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla paste (or extract)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish and line with parchment paper; grease paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the melted chocolate and sugar for a few minutes. Add in the Nutella, eggs, and vanilla and beat for a couple more minutes until fully combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the hazelnuts and chocolate chips over the top (I used a heavy hand when "sprinkling").
6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are puffed and the center is set (mine baked 33 minutes). Don't overbake or they won't have that wonderful fudgy texture; it's honestly better to underbake them by a bit than overbake them!
7. Cool completely before slicing. It's easiest to refrigerate them before slicing and removing from the baking dish- plus they taste awesome nice and cold!

Mascarpone Brownies with Honey-Chocolate Sauce

Merry Christmas!

Brownies have always been one of my favorite desserts, but honestly, who can't say that? This version kicks the typical brownie up a few notches and actually makes it fairly elegant! They are soft and rich from the mascarpone cheese, yet also surprisingly light at the same time. They are nice and fudge-y, and paired with the honey-chocolate sauce they are just absolutely divine.

I apologize for the terrible photos, but I had to take them in very dim lighting at Christmas Eve dinner with my family :).

Mascarpone Brownies with Honey-Chocolate Sauce

recipe adapted from here

Mascarpone Brownies:

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 baking pan.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate and 1/2 cup of butter together in the microwave, checking every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone, 6 tbsp of softened butter, and sugar until combined.
5. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add in the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
6. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat until combined.
7. Add the dry ingredients, slowly, and mix just until combined.
8. Pour into greased pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
9. Serve with Honey-Chocolate sauce drizzled over top.

Honey-Chocolate Sauce:

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbsp honey

1. Heat the heavy cream in a sauce pan over medium heat to a light boil.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely combined.
3. Stir in the honey until combined.
4. Refrigerate until ready to use and then heat over low heat until pourable. Serve over brownies.

Cheesecake Brownies

I know, I have been doing a lot of baking and not much cooking of meals lately. Hopefully, that will change after this week is over as I have been working a ton this week.

These Cheesecake Brownies are addictingly delicious, and, as Deb over at Smitten Kitchen states, even better when eaten nice and cold out of the fridge. They are super easy and there is a pretty good chance you have all of the ingredients on hand if you bake a bunch (I did, minus the unsweetened chocolate for which I substituted semisweet chocolate and scaled down the sugar).

Mine didn't turn out too swirly, but they sure tasted wonderful!

Cheesecake Brownies

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

brownie batter:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

cheesecake batter:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softend at room temperature (I used Neufchatel which has 1/3 less fat than regular cream cheese)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

other:

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
2. Heat the butter and chopped chocolate either in the microwave (checking every 30 seconds), in a double boiler, or in a saucepan over low heat. When just melted, whisk in 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Whisk in flour until just combined and pour into baking pan.
3. Whisk cheesecake batter ingredients together and spread over brownie batter. Using a butter knife, swirl the cheesecake batter into the brownie batter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
4. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the edges are slightly puffed and the center is set.
5. Let brownies cool to room temperature or chill in the fridge before slicing.