Peanut Butter Brownies/Bars

 

I can't quite decide what to call these. Brownies indicate that perhaps they are chocolate brownies with peanut butter when, in fact, the cake/brownie part has no chocolate at all. But their not really bars in the true sense of a bar. So, I'm still going to call them brownies.

Now that that's settled, on to the important stuff. So, I actually made these last week, but didn't have time to write about them until now. The week before I had made brownies and blondies and they were a big hit, so I wanted to find something similar, but with another twist. So, I did a search and found this recipe. Then I asked on What's Cooking if anybody had a recipe for peanut butter brownies that didn't involve chocolate and somebody directed me to this site. These were perfect. When it came time to make them, though, I of course, did things a little different.

Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup margarine, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, cream together peanut butter and margarine. Gradually blend in the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture until well blended.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until the top springs back when touched. Cool, and cut into 16 squares.

Sissy's Variations:
So, like I said, did things a bit different. Even though the Brownie recipe did not call for add-ins, the picture showed some and I wanted to do some any way. So, for the first two batches, I added. One batch at chocolate chunks (about 1/2 c.) and the other had caramel pieces (about 1/2 c.).

The second to batches, I decided to use the method from the Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars recipe. The basis is a layer of preserves between two layers of peanut butter bar. I decided against making the bars because they were going to take a little longer than just brownies, but I thought the idea was cool. So, for the third batch, I spread a layer of strawberry preserves. I didn't measure; I just spooned on an spread a thin layer.

The last batch, I got a little creative. My team leader, Judy, had made a comment the day before about eating peanut butter with chocolate syrup. That inspired me. I got a jar of fudge ice cream topping and spread it between the layers on the last batch. Yum!

The batches with the layers didn't cook up quite as well. Next time, I will cover with foil to keep the tops from burning and let the middle set up a little better. They were still perfectly edible and very yummy, but a little messy in the middle.