Peanut Butter Brownies

Peanut butter and chocolate.  The love of my mouth.  You two belong together, together with me.  Seriously though, I adore you.  However you decide to come I’ll take you in, you have a place with me. 

Shane and I love peanut butter and chocolate.  And regretfully it had been a while since I last baked something to marry the two.  I saw the recipe on smitten kitchen clicking on that terrific “surprise me” button!  I love it, it brings me to all these neat points in Deb’s life that are so fun to read.  Less than three hours later I was on my way to the store to pick up the items and less than 6 hours later they were in my mouth.  Thank you Deb.

After I dropped these off at Shane’s work he sends me a text, “there’s more right?”

Terrific peanut butter flavour, crunchy little salty bites and hard bits of chocolate through out.  Yum!

Peanut Butter Brownies - from smittenkitchen

makes 32 if you cut them smallish

Brownies:

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 3/4 c of sugar

1 c natural pb

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

2 t vanilla extract

2 c flour

1 1/2 c (9oz) chocolate, dark  or bittersweet

1/2 t salt (if using unsalted butter and natural pb, not the mucked up stuff)

Ganache:

1 1/2 c (9oz) chocolate, semisweet

1/2 c cream

1 T butter

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and line with parchment paper a 9x13 pan. 

Beat together butter and sugar in stand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy.  Then add pb and mix until it is all together, scraping down sides.  Beat in eggs, yolk and vanilla.  Reduce to low speed and stir in flour and salt if needed until just incorporated.  Mix in chopped chocolate and spread into greased pan.  The batter will be very thick, like cookie dough.

Bake brownies until deep golden and puffed, 40 minutes or so.  Toothpick will come out with crumbs on it.  Let cool completely.

To make ganache place chopped chocolate in medium sized bowl.  Heat cream in small saucepan.  Pour hot cream over chocolate and add butter.  Wait one minute before stirring to melt butter and chocolate into a smooth mixture.

Spread ganache on cooled brownies and leave to set as long as you can resist (or throw them in the fridge for 20 or so minutes)

Sourdough Muffins

Those muffins there were really only baked out of guilt.  You see I’ve had this starter I’ve been maintaining for 6 weeks, that I’ve only used three times.  I feed it everyday and constantly worry it’s not going to survive but hardly use it!  What a waste I thought.  Since we aren’t really the pancake kind and I have a beautiful loaf of bread in the freezer I thought I’d try muffins.  I took a loose recipe and made it work.  Only...I’d say it’s definitely a savory muffin.  The sourdough really makes it, well, cheesy.  I suppose it might have done better with a lot more sugar and maybe some sweeter berries, but it would go well with jalapenos and cheddar or thyme and rosemary.  I’ll give it another go yet.   But heres your template.

Sourdough muffins:

3/4 c ap flour

1/2 t baking soda

2 t salt

2 T sugar

3 T melted butter

1 egg

1 1/2 c sourdough starter

2 T yogurt or buttermilk

your add ins

Start by preheating the oven to 350 and greasing a muffin pan.

Mix the flour, baking soda, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix briefly.  Spoon evenly into pan.  Bake 20 or so minutes.

Oct 15

I'm sick of being sick with a cold I've had for a few weeks.

The garden is just about done, though there is a lot to for next year yet.

I learned a lot from this first garden of mine, I'm sure next years will be much better.

The weather has turned from summer to autumn at last.

The leaves are dropping and crunching under our feet. I keep dreaming of the day when I can rake leaves from my own tree.

We had our weekend in Whistler and then all dragged our feet back to work.

And enjoyed my one measly turkey sandwich to celebrate the holiday. A happy thanksgiving to start off the holiday season.

October thus far

last weekend

on my bike ride

baking and biking

These are known as our crack cookies, love 'em

I spent a day with these worried hands