Happy November!
While spiced lattes, pumpkin layer cakes, and cozy sweaters are some of the best reasons to say goodbye to summer with a smile, diving into brand new fall-release cookbooks just might be the best of one all.
One of the books I am super-excited about is Jessica Merchant’s first book called Seriously Delish: 150 Recipes for People Who Totally Love Food. Amazing. True, I expected it to be, but I don’t know . . . there’s something extra special about this book when you hold it in your hands. Of course, the first thing to jump out at me was how incredible her photographs are–stunning yet real (much like Jessica herself).
But more than just incredible food photography, Seriously Delish is filled with enticing-but-approachable recipes you want to make over and over again. There are gorgeous cookbooks sitting in my collection, and just knowing they sit in my house is comforting, but Jessica’s book is the kind of book that ends up with tattered pages and chocolate smudges. Much like on her blog, How Sweet Eats, the book is laced with Jessica’s unique humour and warmth, which just makes the whole awesome-food-and-photography thing that much better.
And while this girl knows her way around sugar and butter like crazy, the book also offers homey-but-innovative salads, healthy (and not so healthy) snacks, sandwiches, breakfast (for dinner), pizza, burgers, and so much more. The recipes are notably diverse (imagine parmesan-pistachio kale chips only pages away from fleur de sel caramel bourbon brownie milk shakes), which celebrates Jessica’s distinct recipe style.
So, as you can probably guess, I hit the “Celebrations (for times when calories don’t count)” chapter first thing, which is when I came across the recipe for these Chocolate & Peanut Butter Lover’s Brownies. Needless to say I was sold.
While brownies are likely one of the most-baked treats from book sand blogs alike, these are in a class of their own. Who knew that something as classic as brownies could offer so much wow-factor, yet be whipped up in flash. First off, we triple the chocolate in the brownie batter with melted dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips, which is just an indication of where this recipe is going, right? Then we top the brownies with a sweet peanut butter filling, much like a peanut butter cup filling, and then we top it with a rich, glossy ganache and chopped up peanut butter cups. (This recipe came at the perfect time and totally solved my dozens-of-leftover-Halloween-peanut-butter-cups dilemma–not that that is typically a dilemma, but you know . . . )
Jessica’s voice rings through her easy-to-follow instructions, making this recipe, and all of the recipes in her book, feel like a day in the kitchen with your BFF, which is what I love most about it.
Here’s the recipe for these killer brownies, just to give you a taste of the awesomeness that awaits you in her book:
- 12 tablespoons 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 3 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter melted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 8 ounces milk chocolate chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups chopped peanut butter cups
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
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For the brownies, add the butter and chopped chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, 30 to 60 seconds. Once the chocolate is semi-melted, stir constantly to melt the rest. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter-chocolate mixture and granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, stirring until a smooth batter form. With a large spoon, mix in the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Add the batter to the baking dish. Bake until the brownies are set and no longer jiggly in the middle, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 30 minutes.
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For the peanut butter filling, stir together the melted peanut butter, powdered sugar, and coconut oil until smooth. The peanut butter will be warm and melt the coconut oil, so stir until melted. Pour the filling over the brownies, using a spatula to spread it around the top. Let cool completely and firm up, 20 minutes.
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For the ganache, add the chocolate to a large bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over heat just until it bubbles around the edges. Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds, then stir continuously until the chocolate melts and a smooth ganache comes together, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour it all over the top of the brownies, then cover it with the chopped peanut butter cups. Let the brownies sit for 30 minutes before cutting.
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The brownies will stay fresh to 2 to 3 days at room temperature if covered with a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. I like to keep mine in the fridge--they keep a few days longer (says Jessica).
*recipe written as printed in Seriously Delish: 150 Recipes for People Who Totally Love Food
Sweetapolita’s Notes
- I used an extra dark cocoa powder for the brownies (Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder Extra Brute
but, as always, you can use any good-quality dark cocoa powder you prefer.
- For the ganache I used a Callebaut Semisweet Callets
(54% cocoa solids) because it’s what I had in the cupboard (and they’re my favourite), so I added an extra 1/3 cup heavy cream to ensure that the ganache wasn’t too thick.
- I topped the brownies with Reese’s Minis Peanut Butter Cups
(I happened to have a ton after Halloween and thought they’d look kind of neat nestled into the ganache, but of course chopped full size peanut butter cups would be awesome, just as Jessica calls for it in the book.
See you soon with another dose of sugar!
These look so delicious! I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks, Elyce! They really are!
I finally have good use for peanut butter cups! The icing on these are making me crave brownies so badly.
I LOVE that you picked this recipe to make Rosie! You definitely picked a winner – it looks SO good!
Thanks, Kerry! They were surprisingly quick to make, as well. Sometimes I forget how awesome brownies really can be!
ahhh, these look out of this world good!!
totally making these for my hubby’s birthday next weekend!! Xx
You totally should! Happy Birthday to your hubby!
These brownies are studded with little gold nuggets of sinful deliciousness! Looks super yummy!
Thanks, Jasline! They were awesome!
Ok that it’s, I have got to go get that book ASAP! I’m loving everything about these brownies!
Beautiful photographs! This recipe looks so indulgent…peanut butter and chocolate…ganache and filling. Heavenly!
The brownies are so perfect! Love the ingredients.
Super yummy, thanks Rosie!
pinned.
I need these now! Do you deliver? :-)
That is one showstopping brownie! And those pics – totally drooling!
Thanks, Jessica! xo
I have been following yours and Jessica’s blogs for some time now, and I just think it’s so fun that you’re sharing one of the recipes from her book today, and soon your book will be out as well! These brownies look fantastic and I need all that chocolate and peanut butter in my life!
hi rosie,im an avid follower of your blog, learned a lot from you. But i have a problem, everytime i bake in a square or rectangular baking pan, the inner part of the pan from the oven,the batter doesnt rise. What shall i do? Help me please…. Thank you ☺️
Beautiful images …it looks yummy! Good work.
I just drooled/died a little looking at these pics. PB+C is my deadliest combination – my kryptonite!! love the sound of the recipe – the PB filling with coconut oil? cool! xo
Oh my goodness YES! I just got her cookbook and this recipe was bookmarked, need to make it STAT because this looks incredible!
Hello,
The brownies are so perfect! totally loved it all. really all are looks very much yummy.
Kids birthday cakes in pune
Thanks!
OH EM GEE! I need these in my life, stat!
Hello,
WOW!! lovely small cakes looks very yummy sweetapolita.
I liked it very much.
Thanks!!!
Um, are you making these for Christmas? ;) xo
Hello I recently found your website and I’m in love you have a amazing recipes but I have one problem I am from Israel and we don’t have stick butter or we don’t use ounces measurement I really think that the most accurate and most recognized measurement is grams.
So it will really help if you write the recipes in cups and in grams
Thank you continue with your wonderful recipes, I am your fan :-) Irit
I baked these today. OMG…definitely the best brownies I’ve ever had. Thanks so much!
Looks interesting, Rosie! I’ll definitely give it a try!
Amazing recipe! I am going to make these tomorrow night for my charity bake sale! Can I ask – do you make a bowl type shape with the brownie base, as it seems to come up at the sides in the photo? If so, how do you do this? Thank you! :D