Pretzel & Peanut Crusted Cocoa Brownies
- Brownies
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose flour
- Peanut Pretzel Topping
- 1 cup pretzels
- 1/2 cup salt roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- Brownie recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen (http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/01/best-cocoa-brownies/)rnrnBrownies:rnPosition a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325u0b0F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch square baking pan (I used an11 x 7 x 2 inch Rectangular Pan, which worked, but the brownies are a touch thin) with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.rnrnIn a large heat-proof bowl, add the butter, sugar and cocoa powder. Place the bowl over a barely simmering pot of water on the stove (the bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the boiling water so try to use a smaller pot + bigger bowl combo). Let the butter melt and stir the cocoa and sugar into it slowly. Once everything is melted, remove from the heat and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon. It'll still be quite gritty at this point. Let it cool until just warm (not hot - don't want to cook the eggs!)rnrn(make the topping)rnrnAdd the vanilla and salt and one egg. Mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the second egg and mix well. rnrnAdd the flour to the bowl and stir until no flour-pockets can be seen. Beat with a wooden spoon/spatula for another minute to get everything really smooth and uniform. rnrnPour batter into prepared pan and top with salty mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. rnrnLet cool completely before cutting into 2" squares.
- While you're waiting for the cocoa mixture to cool, toss the pretzels and peanuts into a plastic bag and smash with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Leave some larger pieces of pretzel as they give a nice texture to the finished product. Pour into a medium sized bowl and add the peanut butter. Stir slowly until everything has a light coating of peanut butter.
brownies, butter, sugar, cocoa, salt, vanilla, eggs, allpurpose flour, pretzels, salt, natural peanut butter
Taken from food52.com/recipes/17122-pretzel-peanut-crusted-cocoa-brownies (may not work)