Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies - The Mother Truckers

Peanut butter meets brownies topped with chocolate - Meet the mother trucker brownies.

Weekends that go by too fast - Mother Trucker! Why do they have to end?

Real jobs - Mother Trucker! What time suck.

Two too many cocktails - Mother Trucker, bad idea.

Finding a few more gray hairs - Mother Trucker! Is this really happening?

I know it is swim suit season and all but sometimes life is just a mother trucker and calls for brownies that pack a punch.

Brownies that keep their junk in their trunk.

There are job interviews, cats that scratch perfectly nice furniture, dirty dishes, folding laundry, an obscenely fat cat that likes to lay on your chest and stare at your mouth and lick ears, bills, decisions, uncertainty, cats.

Then there are mother trucker brownies and life just seems to make sense.

Brownies that have all of life's little naughtiness including chocolate, more chocolate, peanut butter, sugar, more butter, more chocolate. 

Pretzels on brownies, mother trucking brilliant!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies (The Mother Truckers)

Adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen via Butterwood Desserts, West Falls, New York via Gourmet, October 2007

Makes about 32 brownies, depending on how small you cut them.

For brownies
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup creamy almond butter
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
1teaspoon salt


For ganache
1 1/2 cups d chocolate chips dark
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Make brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle.

In a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan, then line bottom of pan with parchment paper and butter parchment.

Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light, white and fluffy, add peanut butter and beat until incorporated.

Beat in whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour until just combined.

Mix in chocolate chips then spread batter in baking pan, smoothing out the thick batter.

Bake until brownies are deep golden and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make ganache:

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat.  Pour chocolate chips into cream and let mixture stand for one minute.

Whisk in butter until it is incorporated, chocolate is melted, and a smooth mixture forms.

Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

Brownies keep in one layer in an airtight container three days or can be stored tightly wrapped in the freezer.