Peanut Butter, Nutella, Dark Chocolate Chip Chocolate Brownies

Yep, it's quite a mouthful. Heh, mouthful... get it? Ok, so I'm 12.



Totally ganked from bakingsheet.blogspot.com
The aforementioned food blog is on of my baking favorites. Recently she's had some interesting posts on using nut butters to add extra chewieness (a word?) to cookies and brownies and I had to try this one. Chocolate and peanut butter, I mean you can't go wrong. Except once I started mixing these up I noticed I was a little short on chocolate chips and peanut butter. Then I thought of the ever popular Nutella and realized- Hey, that's a nut butter (hazelnut) and it adds more chocolate content. Perfect! So I just filled the 1/2 cup measuring cup with what PB I had left then topped it off with Nutella. I'd say the result was successful. (As in I'm trying to convince myself to take the rest to work so I don't eat the entire pan myself.)

PB & Chocolate Brownies

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (or part Nutella too if you like)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate although semi-sweet would work too)

Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9x9" square pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter (and Nutella if using) until smooth, then beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, then the vanilla mixing until well combined.
In a small bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in to peanut butter mixture, stopping when just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and scrape batter into pan, spreading into an even layer.
Bake for 26-29 minutes, until set. Edges should feel slightly firm and the center should not look wet or jiggly.
Cool on a wire rack and lift brownies out with the foil when ready to slice.
Makes 16 brownies.