"Wonderland" Excessively Crunchy Peanut Butter Brownies

Photo: Jo Ann

Ingredients

Ingredients for Brownie Batter:

1 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups tightly packed light brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 pound unsalted butter, cut into 1-ounce pieces

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for Topping:

3/4 cup heavy cream

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into ¼-inch pieces

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

Preparation

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Toast the peanuts on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the peanuts to room temperature before chopping by hand with a cook's knife into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.

In a sifter combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift onto a large piece of wax paper and set aside until needed.

Place the light brown sugar, peanut butter, unsalted butter, and the corn syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium for 4 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium for 2 more minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium for 1 minute and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat on medium for 1 minute. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the sifted dry ingredients until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup shopped peanuts (the remaining peanuts are for the topping) and beat on medium for 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the i

Transfer the batter to a 9x13x2-inch nonstick baking pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter in an even layer. Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour before finishing with the topping.

Heat the heavy cream in a 1-1/2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.

Place the chopped semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and stir with a whisk until smooth. Congratulations... you have just created ganache!

Pour the ganache over the cooled brownie. Use a cake spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the entire surface of the brownie.

Combine in a 3-quart bowl the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and the remaining 3/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts.

Sprinkle the chips and nuts evenly over the ganche. Refrigerate the brownie for 1 hour before cutting. This will make the ganche layer firm enough to cut.

Use a serrated knife with rounded tip to cut the brownie into 24-2-inch squares. For a clean cut, heat the blade of the knife under hot running water and wipe the blade dry before making each cut. Serve immediately or store the brownies in a tightly sealed container.