INGREDIENTS
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped or in chips
2 room-temperature eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup coarsely crushed pretzels*
¼ tsp. flaky sea salt
PREPARATION
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8-by-8-inch cake pan with parchment paper (Do not skip the parchment paper; these brownies will stick to the pan without it.).
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from heat and add the sugar and chocolate, stirring to coat the chocolate in butter. Let sit 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is completely melted and the sugar is dissolved.
• Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, cocoa powder and cornstarch about 2 minutes, until the batter is smooth and shiny.
• Fold in the peanut butter chips and the crushed pretzels, then pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the flaky sea salt.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 45 minutes before slicing and serving.
*Substitute gluten-free pretzels or omit them entirely to make this dessert gluten-free.
This article appears in September 2014.