Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies

Tips: Chewy peanut butter brownies with milk chocolate chips are topped by more milk chocolate and chopped peanuts--how can you go wrong? Use creamy peanut butter here; you'll get enough crunch from the chopped peanut topping. I have not tried to make this with an "all natural" peanut butter(the type that separates upon standing), so I don't know how well it would work. If you use a no-sodium or low-sodium peanut butter, add a pinch of salt to the batter; otherwise, the peanut butter will supply plenty of it. You can use a sturdy, hand-held electric mixer to make the batter, and you'll need a heatproof cookie sheet that is longer and wider than your baking pan; this will be placed over the pan for a few minutes after baking to melt the milk chocolate in the topping. These must stand for at least 6 hours after cooling before being cut. The milk chocolate and peanut topping tends to crumble a bit, so serve these with napkins or on plates. Great for a Super Bowl party or any get-together.

Ingredients:

Line a 13 by 9 by 2 inch pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side up (or use a doubled length of regular-weight foil), so that there is about an inch of overhang on each side; fold the overhand down over the outside of the pan. Set aside. Adjust rack to center of oven; preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In small bowl, combine sifted flour and sifted baking powder. With fork, mix well to blend. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine peanut butter, softened unsalted butter, sugars, and vanilla. With sturdy hand-held electric mixer, beat at medium speed until well-mixed and fluffy. Add eggs, two at a time, and beat in until creamy. Add flour mixture in two additions, beating at low speed after each addition just until ingredients are combined. By hand, fold in milk chocolate chips.

Turn into prepared pan and spread level, then push batter slightly higher in corners. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake.

Remove to cooling rack. Immediately scatter milk chocolate sections for Topping all over the surface as evenly as possible. Cover pan of brownies with larger heatproof baking sheet; let stand 4 to 5 minutes. Remove baking sheet. With back of large spoon, spread melted milk chocolate evenly over top of brownies, stopping about 1/2 inch from each edge. Scatter the finely chopped peanuts over the melted milk chocolate evenly, again stopping about 1/2 inch from each edge (this is a generous amount of peanuts, and they should cover the milk chocolate completely). With back of a clean spoon, gently press peanuts into melted milk chocolate.

Cool completely at room temperature, then cover airtight. Allow to stand at least 6 hours before cutting (this gives the milk chocolate a chance to firm up). To cut, use a large, sharp, serrated knife. Remove brownie, still in foil and uncut, from pan. Gently peel foil back from sides. Trim about 1/2 inch from each edge of the brownie. Now, cut the brownies into quarters along their long sides, then cut each quarter into sixths. You'll end up with 24 long, narrow brownies. Store airtight at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze for longer storage. If frozen, defrost in wrappings and allow to come to room temperature before eating.

24 brownies