Lunch Box Brownies (with Peanut Butter Swirls) -10 Points!

Oh.  My. Goodness.  Or should I say, Oh. My. Brownies.  Because, these brownies?  They ARE goodness.  I chose these as my hosting recipe because a very special someone, we'll call him The Boy, loves Peanut Butter and Chocolate.  Yes.  That is properly capitalized.

FYI, The Boy is a sweet young thing who happens to be dating my sister via Skype these days.  It's not creepy, he's just a Marine and he may or may not be living somewhere distant right now.  Before he left for his extended desert holiday, he requested something PB/Chocolate.  Who am I to say no to the face of an angel?  Seriously.  Skin like an earthworm.  Soooo jealous.

Ok, so about me.  I am 30, I live in San Diego, I used to teach Special Ed but I decided I'd rather stay home with my wild Ginger Baby, and I started a daycare to help pay the bills whilst I play with The Dude.  I joined my cousin-in-law, Amanda of Girl+Food=Love in her Bake 52 adventure.  Sadly, I'm running behind and will need a hiatus for a bit after this post.  We are mid-construction and I'm embarking on a super special vacation to Mauritius (Google it) for two weeks.  Hence, no baking.  I joined Bake 52 because I really miss baking/cooking.  I kind of fell off the domestic wagon when I got pregnant and was completely disinterested in food for 8 weeks.  Then we moved and had home repairs.  Then I started teaching Special Ed and had about negative 5 hours in each day.  My change of pace was the perfect opportunity to start enjoying the cooking/baking process again.

Home Repairs or "Why I'm Having a Hard Time Baking: This is My Dining Room"

                                 

The Place I'm Going Where I'm Pretty Sure I Won't be Baking, But I'm Pretty Sure The Baking So Far Has Done Me No Good As Far As Bathing Suits Go.

So, without further ado, her is the AMAZING recipe for Lunchbox brownies from our Bake 52 cookbook, The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book Page 205.

Lunchbox Brownies: Peanut Butter Swirl Variation

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped coarse
2/3 C. (3^1/4  ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. (7 oz.) sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 C. Peanut Butter
Optional: Wine for keeping you cool in a hot kitchen, if you're into that sort of thing.  Which I am.

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°.  Line an 8 in. square baking pan with foil sling and grease foil.  Melt the butter and chocolate together in microwave, stirring often, 1-3 min.  Let mixture cool slightly.

* See my previous post on foil slings.  I skipped the sling and just greased my pan with Baker's Joy.  Here's a picture of my foil sling blooper #2.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  

In a large bowl whisk together sugar, eggs and vanilla. 

Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until combined.  Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated.  

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, drop peanut butter in small dollops over batter in baking pan.  Run butter knife through batter to create swirls. Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (22-27 minutes.)  Rotate pan halfway through baking.

4. Set pan on a wire rack and let brownies cool completely in the pan.  Remove using foil sling (or invert on a plate, like I did.)  Cut into squares and serve!

These were such a hit that I forgot to take a final picture.  Luckily a few had remained safe and I was able to snap a picture using a friend's iPhone before we ate them!  So much for looking like this in my swim suit next week!

Please check out these other lovely ladies' efforts and find a variation that suits your taste!