It’s no secret that I don’t love baking. Actually, it’s not that I don’t like baking. It’s simply that I – there’s not a more sophisticated way to say this, as it doesn’t really deserve any such stylish and gentle words like “room for improvement” – I suck at baking. Of course, my abilities in the kitchen sound much better if I just say I don’t like to bake rather than I can’t bake...
Oh, what am I trying to hide here? I can’t bake.
it works with chocolate, not kimchee
Now this might have been a secret, but is no longer: I don’t love peanut butter. *gasp!* I know. Someone should slap me for such blasphemy. What kind of !@#$! American doesn’t like peanut butter?! Well, today, let’s conveniently call upon my Korean heritage that I normally try to suppress behind plastic surgery, brow tattooes, mystic tanning, heavy makeup, and careful pronunciation. I’m Korean! Koreans don’t eat peanut butter. There’s no peanut butter in Korea. And do you know how hard it would be for a Korean person to pronouce Suh-kee-pee? Or Ji-puh? What on earth would Koreans do with peanut butter? Koreans don’t eat peanut butter. We eat...
Spam.
*ooh* and that’s when I go right back to calling myself an American. Spam. *shudders*
So given that I don’t like to bake, and I don’t like peanut butter, it makes absolutely perfect sense that I made not one, but two peanut butter-based desserts. Make that three, if we count peanut butter cookie rebellion a few weeks ago. Why would I do this to myself?!?
Because my inner Jew loves to suffer. ;)
Creamy Crunchy Peanut Butter Brownies Recipe
Preheat oven to 350°.
Grease and flour a 9" square baking pan. An 8" pan just means that the bake time will be longer and the brownies will be taller.
Sift together ½ c. all-purpose flour with 6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ tsp. baking powder, and a pinch of salt into a medium bowl. (There is a way to do convert this recipe using squares of baking chocolate, but I had cocoa, and since I''m Korean, why would I waste my money and buy baking chococlate when I already have cococa?!?)
In a separate bowl, stir together ½ c. (1 stick) melted butter, ½ c. granulated sugar, ½ c. packed brown sugar. Add 1 tsp. vanilla, then beat in 2 large eggs, one at a time, until well-blended.
Stir flour/cocoa mixture into butter/sugar mixture until well-blended. Settle down, Freakie von Spazzington - the batter is supposed to be super thick. Spread into baking pan.
In a third bowl, beat together 1 8 oz. pkg. softened cream cheese, ½ c. crunchy peanut butter, ¼ c. granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 Tbsp whole milk, and ¼ tsp. vanilla until smooth and creamy. Pour on top of brownie batter in baking pan.
Bake for 40 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
tags :: food : and drink : cooking : baking : recipes : los angeles
Craig says
I figure there must be more to this, like the NAME of the bar cookie that is pictured. :)
But as always, Sarah is just a tease and she loves it...
Anonymous says
Looks good - but seriously, why do you make things if you don't like them? I guess you didn't eat any? Then do you know if they even tasted good?
sarah says
craig: tease is such a negative word...i prefer "mysteriously exciting"
anonymous: i don't know why. LOL! i often make things for other people, which are not always things i like. i did eat quite a few of these - peanut butter mixed wiht cream cheese and combined with chocolate is distinctly different from straight peanut butter, which makes me shudder about at much as spam right out of the can.
oh, and the brownies weren't too bad. (a little dense, but what do we expect from peanut butter, right?)
abraxis says
Heeeey!
Peanut Butter is great stuff!
Especially mixed with chocolate!
Mmmm. Chocolate and Peanut Butter!
Those brownies look pretty good, BTW
abraxis says
Heeeey!
Peanut Butter is great stuff!
Especially mixed with chocolate!
Mmmm. Chocolate and Peanut Butter!
Those brownies look pretty good, BTW
Phil C says
Stop maligning Spam! It has a time and place. Ask the Hawaiians. Spam musubi, anyone?
Grace says
i love peanut butter (well, only the crunchy kind), and i'm a KA. (:
Maure says
grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will change you sarah -
the warm peanut butter against the
cool jelly/jam (preferably raspberry).
the inner korean in me may hesitate, but the outer jew will indulge yet again.
sarah says
abraxis: am i on crack?!? did i forget about chocolate and peanut butter!??! i could eat a whole bag of reese's peanut butter cups (the mini ones) in one sitting! then again, that stuff in the middle isn't real peanut butter :)
phil c: i totally understand the love for spam. my sisters and dad eat the stuff like it's manna from heaven. i just can't get into it. something about that weird light tannish yellow gelatin that's attached to it when it comes out of the can...
grace: hee hee, yes yes, i know, even my best friends from college who were korean liked peanut butter, so maybe it's just me. LOL!
maure: i'mnot sure about peanut butter and jelly. i never got to eat those growing up - kinda preview of the next topic - but i didn't eat normal kid stuff like grape jelly on toast or pb&j sammies. my mom made us eat orange marmalade on those super dense crumpet things that have a koala bear on the package LOL!
Maure says
sarah: not pb & j - but grilled
pb & j - like a grilled cheese sandwich. Elvis used to swear by the grilled pb&banana and it certainly did him no harm.
As far as orange marmalade on koala beared crumpets...well that'sa case for Freud, or perhaps a senate subcommitee.
djjewelz says
Totally off topic...but Mr. Digweed will be at the Mayan 6/8/2006. TURN IT UP!
I'm going to go have myself a fluff sandwich now: marshmallow fluff spread and crunchy peanut butter. Learned that one when I was at Williams.
Phil C says
Maure, speaking of musicians' favorite sandwiches, I heard that Luther Vandross had a thing for bacon cheeseburgers with a Krispy Creme donut in it.
sarah says
maure: did him no harm? LOL! i guess barely squeezing into his white sequined jumpsuit isn't bad, huh? LOL!
djjewelz: oh my. i love the mayan! actually, will likely being go there in march to listen to satoshi tomiie
Fiber says
These look awesome.
I can't wait to try them!
TNP says
Why did your brownies look so much more moist than mine?
I just got around to making them - after drooling over the picture ever since it appeared.
Followed your directions to a T, but still, although they don't taste dry, they sure aren't as moist as yours.
sarah says
hmmm...maybe it's trick photography ;)
well, moistness can be added by using more fat i s'pose, and i have found that using chocolate baking squares usually makes for moister things (because there's fat in those too!), but i had to use cocoa because that was all ihad. i'll have to try my hand at making these with regular baking choco and see what happens...
but yours tasted okay, so that's all that counts, right? :)
TNP says
Thanks for the tip, Sarah. Come to think of it, I may have been 1 T. short of the stick of butter. And next time I'll try the chocolate squares and see what happens.
And yes, they taste great!
Anonymous says
wtf i fuckin hate this,i didnt want to see all this pb.its to delicious man,and
Anonymous says
wtf i fuckin hate this,i didnt want to see all this pb.its to delicious man,and
li says
is this your project
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/764770043/raizin-taste?ref=category