Peanut Butter Brownie Crumble Bars

  • PB Brownie Crumble Bars

    I have a hard time naming desserts, because I never find it possible to express exactly how excited I am about all of the layers and ingredients and degrees of sin.

    Like this winner: there’s the peanut butter cookie layer, which on its own would be satisfying as a last meal on death row.  But then there’s the chocolate frosting layer.  And then the top layer of the World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie, all crumbled up into a mess of chocolatey want and need.  How do you name this?  Peanut Butter Cookie Chocolate Frosting Fudge Brownie Crumble bars?

    As it landed, I skipped the reference to the chocolate frosting in the title.  Think of it as a little bonus that you didn’t expect after the existing title lured you in.

    Adapted from my World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie & Classic PB Cookie recipes…

    PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE BASE:

    1/2 cup peanut butter

    1/4 cup shortening

    1/4 cup butter, room temperature

    1/2 cup granulated sugar

    1/2 cup packed brown sugar

    1 egg

    1/2 teaspoon vanilla

    1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

    3/4 teaspoon baking soda

    1/2 teaspoon baking powder

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    CHOCOLATE FROSTING LAYER:

    1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

    1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

    1/4 cup salted butter (1/2 stick), softened to barely room temperature

    1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons heavy cream

    1/2 teaspoon vanilla

    BROWNIE CRUMBLES:

    4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate (the better the chocolate, the better the brownie)

    3/4 cup unsalted butter

    2 cups sugar

    2 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla (use the real stuff)

    3 lightly beaten eggs

    1 cup flour

    1 1/2 teaspoons salt

    Optional: 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

    Optional: 1 cup lightly toasted nuts &/or chocolate chips

    1. PB COOKIE BASE:
      1. Preheat oven to 375º and grease a foil-lined 9 x 13″ baking pan.
      2. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, shortening, butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.
      3. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients and add to wet mixture until incorporated.
      4. Spread evenly into prepared pan, and bake for 23 -25 minutes, until light golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack and set aside.
    2. CHOCOLATE FROSTING LAYER:
      1. In a large bowl, sift confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder together.
      2. In a separate large bowl, cream butter with approximately half of sugar-cocoa mixture until well combined.  Add remaining sugar-cocoa and a tablespoon of cream, beating until smooth.  Beat in vanilla until fluffy.  (Add more cream or confectioners’ sugar until proper spreading consistency is achieved.)  Spread evenly on top of PB base and set aside.
    3. WORLD’S GREATEST FUDGE BROWNIE CRUMBLES:
      1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9 x 13″ foil-lined pan.
      2. Melt chocolate & butter in microwave for 2:15 minutes and stir.
      3. Stir in sugar, then vanilla, then eggs, then salt, espresso powder (optional) & flour.
      4. Stir in nuts &/or chocolate chips if you so desire.
      5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 27 – 29 minutes (until center is just set).
      6. Cool completely* and then pulse in food processor until crumbly.
      7. Sprinkle brownie crumbles over bars and press gently into frosting to help adhere.

    Tips:

    • I recommend you make this dessert in this order: brownies (freeze until ready to use), PB base, then frosting while waiting for PB bars to cool down. 
    • Bake the PB bars longer if you like them crispy, and for less time if you like them gooier.
    • Want more brownie baking tips?  Check out the original post here.
    • Freeze brownies before food processing them- that way they will crumble better.  I find that fresh brownies just turn to muck in the food processor.  Tasty muck.
    • Lazy?  Buy store-bought frosting.  I won’t tell.
    • Freeze-friendly?  You bet.  Just wrap tightly.
    • Enjoy!

     

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    March 14th, 2015 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: , ,

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