Chocolate, peanut butter, a mix of sweet and salty; this is a thing of dreams!
I get these moments in the day where I have a massive craving for sugar. Just a little something to keep me going and satisfy my sweet tooth. Now, depending on the intensity of this craving, a chocolate digestive or a couple of Haribo is usually enough to do the job.
However, there are times when I need ALL the sugar and sweetness. Had a quick scan through my fridge and cupboards to see what I could throw together. What started off as just a brownie grew and grew until I was left with beast of a dessert.
We’ll start with the base. Thick, fudgy, dense brownie. The only way a brownie should be in my opinion – none of those crumbly, cakey brownies here please. I've made this all in a square tin just to mix things up a bit, but it would work just as well in a round tin.
Once the brownie is baked and cooled, you can start on the filling which is essentially a peanut butter cheesecake. A mix of cream cheese, double cream and crunchy peanut butter. Feel free to use smooth PB if you prefer but I love the extra texture that come from using crunchy.
And because with something like this, more is definitely more, I’ve thrown on some popcorn , salted peanuts and a drizzle of melted chocolate. If you’re feeling extra wild, some caramel sauce wold also feel right at home here. Or some toffee popcorn. Or both. I won’t judge.
R E C I P E
serves 10-12
Chocolate Brownie
150g Dark Chocolate
120g Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
80g Caster Sugar
120g Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
70g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Filling
280g Full Fat Cream Cheese
150g Crunchy Peanut Butter
125g Icing Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
240ml Double Cream
To Top
Popcorn of your choice
Salted Peanuts
Melted Chocolate
M E T H O D
Grease and line an 8x8 inch square pan or a round 23cm cake tin. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4/180C
To make the brownies, place the chocolate, butter and cocoa powder in a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the ganache is smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour in the chocolate mixture and mix together until smooth. Add in the flour and salt and fold gently until combined. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownies are just baked. Better to underbake than overbake these!
Let them cool completely before adding the filling on top.
To make the filling, use an electric hand whisk to beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and peanut butter until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, lightly whip the double cream until you have soft peaks and fold this into the peanut butter mixture.
Pour the filling on top of the brownie base and smooth the top to get an an even layer. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours before topping with popcorn, peanuts and melted chocolate.