Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies and Double-Chocolate Brownies (Martha Stewart)

For this month, I can't help being a crazy baking woman learning to bake like Martha Stewart. There is so many fabulous recipes to bake but not enough time to bake them all... Amongst all the Martha Stewart's recipes that I have bookmarked, these two brownies recipes are simply GREAT and learn something about chocolate from these bakes...

Unlike the disappointing chocolate marbled cake that I've baked previous, the swirls of these Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies look pretty good to me. I'm so glad that I've redeemed myself with this bake... LOL! These peanut butter brownies are superb! With a nice balance of saltiness from the peanut butter, the cakey kind of brownies are very delicious with its moist and richness in chocolate flavours.

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I always thought that I have been baking well using the most premium chocolate that I can find at the local supermarkets... not until when I saw an issue of Donna Hay magazine suggesting the use of Callebaut, Belgium finest chocolate to bring our daily chocolate bakes to the next higher level. I was using Lindt cooking chocolate (70% cocoa) to bake my peanut butter brownies and wonder the use of Callebaut or Valrhona chocolates can make any significant difference in my chocolaty bakes. As I was shopping online for these chocolate ingredients, I was shocked to learn that these chocolates and cocoa powder are not cheap at all in Australia and can cost up to hundreds of dollars if I have to use them for all my intensive baking... Great!? Feeling a big pinch, I thought maybe I should write to Santa..."Dear Santa, I wish for a year supply of Valrhona or Callebaut chocolates for 2013. Love, Zoe" - LOL!

Maybe I can wait for Santa or maybe not until I saw this...

"Fans of fudgy brownies say this is the recipe of their dreams" - This is the description of the Double-Chocolate Brownies recipe in the book, Martha Stewart's Cookies.

"The better the quality of chocolate you use, the better the results." - This is another description of the same Double-Chocolate Brownies recipe at Martha Stewart's website.

Seeing this, I need my supply of best quality chocolate NOW and so I have decided to be my own Santa, buying Callebaut chocolates for this Double-Chocolate brownies bake. The Callebaut chocolates that I bought are the cocoa powder (alkali- or Dutch-processed) and dark cooking chocolate with 58% cocoa and I'm excited to use these chocolate to bake this heavenly brownies.

Unlike most melt-and-mix brownies recipes, this one requires electric mixer to whisk eggs and sugar for at least 4 minutes until the mixture turns pale. Unlike and like the very fudgy brownies that I have baked previously, this one has all the chocolate ingredients melted and incorporated into the brownies batter and yet it is quite similar to the very fudgy brownies texture but with an extra chewy bite. After baking and having a slice of this brownies, I can understand now that this is the indeed a dream recipe for fudgy brownies... 

After tasting the difference in Lindt and Callebaut chocolates, we are becoming "fussy chocoholics" and prefer baking with Callebaut chocolates... "Dear Santa, I wish for a year supply of Valrhona or Callebaut chocolates for 2013, 2014, 2015 and many more years. Love, Zoe" - LOL!

My Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Making the PB brownies batter

Making peanut butter filling

Assembling the brownies

My freshly baked brownies... Yum!

Very moist and delicious!

My Double-Chocolate Brownies

Callebaut cocoa powder sold in 1 kg only! No worries with my intensive baking, I can use up this very quickly!

Making the Double-Chocolate brownies batter

Pour batter into prepared pan

I must remember not to over-bake these brownies.

Light sugary crispy top outside. Moist, chocolaty and extreme fudgy inside. This is indeed my dream recipe!

Here are the recipe from the book, Martha Stewart's Cookies or her website.

(with my notes and modification in blue)

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Makes 9 large or 16 small

for the batter:1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
(both unsweetened and semisweet chocolate were replaced with 200g chocolate with 70% cocoa)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp coarse salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

for the filling:

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter  
(I used the 25% reduced fat one, fat content is 37g/100g)
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang. Butler lining (not over-hang).

Make batter: Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let it cool slightly. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well combined.

Make filling: Stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

Pour one-third of batter into prepared pan; spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Drop dollops of peanut butter filling (about 1 tbsp each) on top of batter, spacing about 1 inch apart. Drizzle remaining batter on top, and gently spread to fill pan. Drop dollops of remaining peanut butter mixture on top. Gently swirl peanut butter filling into batter with a butter knife, running the knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes om with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 45 mins. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 mins. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

How to marbleize brownies: Use two large spoons to drop dollops of filling over a base of chocolate batter. Add more batter on top. then more dollops of filling. Drag a butter knife back and forth with the tip touching the bottom of the pan.

The Callebaut chocolates that I bought

Double-Chocolate Brownies

Makes 9 large or 16 small square

6 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for pan 6 ounces coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate
(I used dark chocolate with 58% cocoa) 
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
(not Dutch-process but the book says preferably Dutch processed and so I used Dutch processed)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 min. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 min. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 min. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Note: Using the full amount of this recipe, I have baked my brownies at 160°C fan forced for 30 min.

Happy Baking

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