I love a good brownie, and I love trying new recipes for them. They’re simple to whip up and satisfy a chocolate craving in less than an hour. I was initially drawn a David Lebovitz recipe because it doesn’t call for flour. That’s great news for the gluten-averse crowd, but for me, it meant a fudgier, more chocolaty crumb. I was not disappointed.
But I couldn’t let it rest there. One of my favorite cookies at Whisk, where I help out from time to time, is a peanut butter-pretzel cookie. The salty, sweet, crunchy combination is perfect, so I took played with those same ingredients, except now the pretzels and peanut butter snuggle together in a fudgy chocolate bed. You’ll definitely need a glass of milk for this one.
A few tips: Be sure to beat the batter at least 2 minutes, until it is glossy and pulls away from the bowl for a cracking top and the perfect brownie texture. A hand mixer on medium speed is ideal.
Also, for the fudgiest brownies, under-bake them. No more than 25 minutes in an 8-by-8-inch pan is best. Remember, they are still cooking when you take them out of the oven, so let them rest for 45 minutes to finish. Enjoy and happy baking!
Fudgy Peanut Butter-Pretzel Brownies Adapted from a David Lebovitz recipe Makes 1 8-by-8-inch pan
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
• 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.
