Peanut Butter Brownies

When I was in college, to make friends I would bake cupcakes and brownies and give them out as a way to break the ice with new people and these peanut butter brownies soon became a dorm favorite. This recipe is pretty easy and will yield some of the fudgiest, richest, most delicious peanut butter brownies you have ever put in your mouth, plus, they look beautiful!

Please Note: I have received marriage proposals from perfect strangers after they tried these brownies. I'm not responsible for any awkward situations caused by the ingestion of these delicious treats. On the other hand, if you're trying to encourage that special someone to pop the questions, these peanut butter brownies just might help ;)

For this recipe you will need:

• a package of brownie mix or the dry ingredients from your favorite brownie recipe
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 12 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and lightly coat a 9"x9" pan with peanut oil or other cooking spray.

Take your package of brownie mix and add the egg, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup peanut oil, and mix it all in until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps in it. Then take 1 cup of peanut butter and gently fold it into the batter. You don't want to mix it in all the way, but just mix it enough so that it's evenly distributed. The light color of the peanut butter looks beautiful marbled with the dark color of the brownie batter.

Put the batter in your prepared pan in an even layer and bake for 40-50 minutes at 325 degrees. Check after 40 minutes and if the middle is still really really soup-y put them in for 10 more minutes.

Once it's done, remove from oven and set aside to cool.

The chocolate ganache layer on top really makes this dessert special. It might looks intimidating, but it's super easy. Here we go!

Take the rest of your heavy cream and put it in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and wait for it to boil. Keep a close eye on it because you don't want it to burn or boil over. As soon as the cream starts boiling, add it to the package of chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl and whisk it together until all the chocolate chips have disolved and the mixture is smooth. It will look kind of weird at first, but that's ok, just keep whisking!

Once your ganache is all smooth, pour it over your cooled brownies and smooth it into an even layer. To make the pretty pattern, take the rest of your peanut butter and put it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Use a piping bag or even just a measuring cup with a spout to pour thin lines of liquid peanut butter diagonally across the pan. Then take a toothpick or skewer and drag through the lines of peanut butter in the opposite diagonal. Then do it again in the other direction to get the chevron pattern.

Set it aside to cool a bit and let the ganache solidify a bit and you're done! Serve them and impress your friends and and win over your enemies!