Over a week ago I teased my Facebook fans, mentioning these brownies. Shame on me for not getting them posted sooner, but I promise they are worth the wait. I've put peanut butter chips in brownies before and mixed peanut butter and nutella with brownie batter, but these are by far my favorite peanut butter brownie creation!
The brownies are dense, erring on the side of fudgy rather than cakey (just how I like them!). Topped with a thin layer of peanut butter frosting followed by ganache, they're sure to be a hit for any chocolate peanut butter fans out there. I cut them into pretty small squares, figuring they would be pretty rich. While they are rich, they weren't so rich to keep me going back for a second or a third! Store these in the fridge and don't worry about bringing them to room temperature to serve; they're best with a bit of chill still in them!

Want to make them extra indulgent? Double the peanut butter frosting layer!

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Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts
from Bon Appetit January 2007 

Ingredients:
for the brownies-
-1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
-7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used a mix of both)
-3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/4 tsp salt
-4 large eggs
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

for the frosting and ganache-
-1 cup chunky peanut butter
-1 stick unsalted butter, divided and at room temperature
-3/4 cup powdered sugar
-1/8 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
-1 tbsp milk
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with foil and grease foil. Set aside.
2. Add 1 1/2 sticks butter plus both chocolates to a large saucepan and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Fold in flour and peanuts.
3. Pour batter in prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Place pan on a rack to cool.
4. Beat peanut butter with 1/4 cup butter in a medium bowl. Add powdered sugar, salt, nutmeg, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread frosting over brownies.
5. Heat remaining 1/4 cup butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Spread ganache over frosting. Refrigerate brownies for at least 1 1/2 hours, until set. Brownies should be covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.