By Brayden is two hundred and thirty-four weeks old. Eden is one year and forty weeks. The gooey chocolate-peanut bars are a small layered bar with chocolate, peanut butter, and a small graham crust.
Sunday I made a pan.
Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives. She holds Eden. She plays with Brayden. She drinks the small coffee. We talk for two hours. The small Aunt-Linda-and-Roy small post-retirement rhythm has settled into the small comfortable-pace they have been building since Roy stopped driving.
Dustin’s small Tulsa-shop work continues. The small shop-manager-and-eventually-owner trajectory is in its small mid-phase. Bobby is moving toward the small retirement-handoff. The small five-year-buyout-structure is in its small operational-rhythm.
The small family-of-four routine continues. Brayden goes to school. Eden goes to daycare. Dustin goes to the shop. I do the small catering-and-cookbook-and-blog work. The small days have the small predictable shape that the small steady-state of the small family-with-two-kids assumes.
The small Tulsa-apartment continues to be the small home. We have not yet moved to a small house. The small house-search continues to be on the small slow-burn. The small five-year-down-payment-savings-plan continues to accumulate.
Gooey Chocolate-Peanut Bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. Lightly grease the parchment.
- Make the brownie base. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add dry ingredients. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix. The batter will be thick and glossy. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- Make the peanut butter layer. In a medium bowl, stir together the creamy peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth and slightly stiff. Drop spoonfuls across the top of the brownie batter, then use a butter knife or offset spatula to gently swirl and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake. Bake for 28–32 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is still slightly soft when pressed lightly. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs (not wet batter). Do not overbake — the gooey texture depends on pulling them while the center is just set.
- Make the chocolate topping. While the bars are cooling (about 10 minutes), combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth. Pour over the warm bars and spread to the edges with a spatula.
- Cool and cut. Allow the bars to cool completely at room temperature, at least 1 hour, before lifting out of the pan using the parchment overhang. Cut into 16 bars. For the cleanest cuts, refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 385 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 130mg