Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Peanut butter and chocolate just might be one of the greatest pairings ever. When I first encountered a Reese’s peanut butter cup three years ago, I thought it was such an interesting combination of ingredients. Whoever came up with the idea to combine peanut butter and chocolate was a pure genius.

I was reminded of my love for pb and choc by my friend Jenny, who made peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes during finals period last week. In fact, I got a personal delivery to the library! A link to her blog and to the recipe can be found here.

I’ve recently become a frequent user of Pinterest. It’s such a cute website, full of stunning photography, crafty ideas, and beautiful creations of all sorts. I came across a pin for these peanut butter truffle brownies while getting my daily dose of Pinterest a few weeks ago, and I knew I just had to make them.

With a new camera in hand, I had lots of fun taking plenty of photos. Maybe I went overboard a little. Somehow, I managed to take over 80 pictures, making choosing which ones to post a difficult decision. Oh well. I’ve no one to blame but myself. Or my camera…

Ingredients

Brownie layer:
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder

Peanut butter layer:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp milk

Chocolate ganache layer:
¼ cup peanut butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate
¼ cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.
2. First, make the brownie bottom. In a medium bowl, mix together oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Stir into the wet mixture until well blended. Spread batter into greased pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let the brownie cool.
4. While the brownie is cooling, make the peanut butter layer. Combine the peanut butter layer ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Spread onto the cooled brownie. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set.
5. To make the ganache layer, combine peanut butter, chocolate, and butter in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or use a double boiler). Melt the ganache ingredients together and stir to combine.
6. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Place in the refrigerator to set, approximately 30 minutes. Cut into squares to serve.