Fudgey Pretzel, Peanut Butter, Marshmallow Brownies

I told you on Friday I was going to figure out how to make these brownies match the picture in my head.  Well, I'm stubborn and I did it.  Yeah for me, pat on the back, happy dance, etc., etc.

Actually, it's yeah for you because you can make these too and they're stinkin' delicious.  I love a fudgy brownie and these are perfectly fudgy (BTW, I've gone back and forth 65 times between spelling that fudgy and fudgey.  Neither is a real word and the internet is not helping me because apparently no one else can figure it out and people use both.  This is the stuff that I worry about).  In fact, when I eat a brownie, I want to wonder if it was cooked all the way.  It should be reminiscent of batter but cooked enough so that it doesn't actually drip between your fingers when you try and eat it.  Dry brownies are the worst... baking brownies too long makes them dry... therefore over-baked brownies are completely unacceptable.  Don't do it.

Not only are these brownies fudgy, they also have that salty/sweet taste that I adore.

My first attempt at these brownies, I needed to use up leftover peanut butter mousse which was a combination of peanut butter & marshmallow fluff.  Since I already used up the mousse, I didn't feel limited to using it in its combo form and decided to leave the marshmallows and peanut butter separate which I liked (I swear I wasn't being lazy, I really did want it this way).  The distinct flavors helped the saltiness of the peanut butter come through (even if I did add some honey to it).  I also like that the marshmallows puffed up and browned during the baking process which made the swirls super pretty.

If I had one complaint about these it's that I wanted the pretzels to stay crunchier but that's probably not a realistic possibility considering they're doused in batter and I like that they were integrated into the brownie instead of everything being piled on top.  To remedy that, you could sprinkle more crushed pretzels on top if you care that much... I don't.

I love these and am very happy with how they turned out.  CA thought they were just OK.  In fact, he said they might be too peanut buttery.  He's weird and wrong.

These do make me wonder about something though... peanut butter s'mores.  Has anyone tried this?  I'm thinking it would be a great idea to smear PB on one of the graham crackers before smushing the toasted marshmallow in the middle.  Hmmm, I may need to try that this summer.

Fudgey Pretzel, Peanut Butter & Marshmallow Brownies
Brownie based adapted from Brownies to Die For

Ingredients
4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
2/3 cup Butter
2 cups Sugar
4 Eggs. lightly beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp baking Powder
1 tsp Salt

3 cups coarsely crushed Pretzels
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
2 T Honey
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1/2 cup Salted Peanuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan.  Remove from the heat and mix in the sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Once combined, add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the peanut butter and honey.  Mixing with a spoon until evenly combined.

Sprinkle the crushed pretzels in the bottom of the prepared baking pan.  Pour the brownie batter on top.  Dollop the peanut butter mixture and the marshmallow fluff on top of the brownie batter and swirl with a knife.  Sprinkle the top with the chopped peanuts.

Bake for 25 minutes until the swirls are golden brown and the brownies are set.  Cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy!
Julie