Is there such a thing as too many words in a title if all of the words are fantastic? I think not. Let’s get into it:

If you don’t want these to be gluten free, just use the same amount of all purpose flour!

If you don’t want peanut butter in these…you’re insane. But you could use dulce de leche or even make a cheesecake swirl instead (a mixture of 1 brick of cream cheese, 1 egg, 2T sugar, 1t vanilla).

The Recipe

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks) ((1/2 pound))
• 2t vegetable oil
• 1 cup + 2T packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup +2T white sugar
• 4t vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup cocoa powder (you know that Hershey’s special dark cocoa? I use that)
• 1t salt
• 1 cup gluten free flour

 This is what I use and recommend, but you do you.

• 1 cup chocolate chunks, chips, or mini chocolate chips (omg or peanut butter chips if you’re going all out)
  • Use semi sweet or dark chocolate. Milk chocolate is far too sweet.
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, warmed
• A 9″X13″ baking pan. Butter/crisco/spray the pan and line it with parchment paper (leave an overhang of parchment on the longer side so you can easily pick up a full slab of cooked, cooled brownies. That way you can cut them on *gasp* a cutting board and not ruin your pan!)
• A 350°F oven

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Melt the butter in a pot. Add the oil and sugars and whisk thoroughly. This is essentially a caramel sauce and it’s everything that’s right with the world.

Remove from heat, let cool slightly, and whisk in the vanilla. Then…I’m not joking–stick your finger in that mixture and make sure it’s not even a little hot. Whisk in the eggs one at a time (if that butter and sugar mixture is hot, you’ll just have scrambled eggs in caramel).

Switch to a wooden spoon and gently stir in flour, cocoa, and salt until just combined. Let cool all the way before stirring in the chocolate chunks/chips.

Spread batter evenly into your prepared baking pan and plop spoonfuls of warmed peanut butter on top of the batter. Swirl the peanut butter around with a knife or toothpick.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Let cool completely in the pan, then use a sharp knife to cut. I wash the knife in between each cut so the pieces don’t get all scraggly, but I’m insane. Do whatever you’d like, they’re just brownies.

Serve them to your favorite people, and enjoy!