Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Madness

It's Monday. I don't know about you, but most Mondays are crazy around here with all the stuff we have going on. It almost always seems like it's a day where I need chocolate. Chocolate is a true gift from Heaven, at least in my opinion!

So today's recipe combines chocolate with my other all-time favorite food. Peanut Butter. Specifically, chunky peanut butter. I'm really not sure if there is a better combination than peanut butter and chocolate.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Madness

Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate (you can substitute 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil)
1/2 cup chocolate/peanut butter chips or 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (creamy is fine if that's what you have on hand)
Cooking spray or extra butter, softened

Tools:
Small saucepan
Wooden spoon
Mixing bowl
Mixer
8x8 square pan
Aluminum Foil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees!

Combine the butter, unsweetened chocolate and the chocolate/peanut butter chips in the saucepan. Turn the heat on medium-low and melt them together. If you are using cocoa powder/vegetable oil, do not add them now! Just melt the butter and chocolate/peanut butter chips.

Once melted, remove from the heat and continue stirring for another minute to a minute and a half. If you are using the cocoa powder/vegetable, add it right after you remove the saucepan from the stove.

Pour the mixture into the mixing bowl. Using the mixer, beat in the sugar and eggs. Slowly add in the flour, mixing as you do. Finally, add the vanilla and peanut butter. Mix well. It should look very thick with little bits of peanut mixed in, like this:

Line the pan with the aluminum foil and either spray the cooking spray into it or rub the butter around the aluminum foil. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and spread it out using the wooden spoon.

Put the pan into the oven for 22 minutes or until cooked through.

Oh! New feature! Nutrition Info! Now, before you complain you don't want to know how bad these are for you, take a deep breath and remember that everything (including baked goods) are fine in moderation, so have 1 and share with everyone else, OK?

Number of servings: 12

Calories: 284
Total Fat: 16.8 grams
Saturated Fat: 8.2 grams
Cholesterol: 47 milligrams
Sodium: 112 milligrams
Total Carbohydrates: 31.5 grams
Dietary Fiber: 2 grams
Sugar: 22.2 grams
Protein: 5.3 grams