fudgy peanutbutter brownies

hey people! sorry i haven't posted in a few days... i was taking a bit of a breather after busting out about 300 cupcakes in over 3 days time... but it's about time to get back to business and get my butt back to baking... but what goodies to bake...

i was kind of over cupcakes for the moment after being surrounded by them... and cookies are great, but i wanted something a little more sinful... a little more indulgent... and something that wouldn't take a long time to prep... so... after thinking about it i settled on some fudgy, and rich cocoa brownies... but i wanted to jazz it up a bit... how about brownies topped with buttercream... naaa... how about brownies topped with ganache or salt caramel... naaa... oooh! i got it! i just had an epiphany... brownies topped with the baked peanut butter cream (you know, that deliciously creamy peanutbutter topping for their banana cream pie... it's heaven!!!)

so off i was... on a mission to bake a fabulous brownie... and oh man!! it was... the combination of a fudgy chewy brownies with a creamy light peanut butter cream... AHHH-MAZING!

quick one bowl fudge brownies:
ingredients:
1 & 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

directions:
1. preheat oven to 350, and line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, letting the excess hang over the edges, lightly butter the foil
2. melt butter and chocolate on low heat on the stove top in a saucepan or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl, remove from heat or microwave and cool slightly
3. one at a time, whisk in cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour and then pour into prepared pan
4. smooth the top of the batter
5. bake for 30-35 minutes, until edges are set and center is a bit soft, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a little batter coating it
6. cool at room temperature for an hour
7. top generously with the peanut butter cream (recipe below)

peanut butter cream:
ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

directions:
1. using mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in medium bowl until smooth
2. beat in vanilla, then peanut butter
3. beat heavy cream in a separate bowl until firm peaks form, then first fold a large spoonful of whipped cream into peanut mixture to loosen, then fold in remaining cream in 2 additions
4. spread peanut butter layer evenly over brownies
5. chill in the fridge until ready to devour :)

enjoy your weekend and happy baking everyone!!