The Decadent Hour

It's 9 pm. I just put the baby to bed. Instead of unwinding from the day's events by plopping onto my couch and watching reruns of The Real Housewives of Jersey, I can't stop thinking about the two bananas going bad in my fridge. So I grab them, and re-purpose them the best way I know how - with chocolate. Wouldn't it be grand if we could camouflage everything gone bad in life with chocolate? Bad news, we can't.
Very good news, I made Peanut Butter & Banana Brownies!

PB & B Brownies

(yield: 12 brownies)

 

10 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing

1/2 cup peanut butter, chunky

1 cup sugar

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3 eggs

1 cup flour

2 tbsp dutch-processed cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a rectangular 13" x 9" pan with butter. Line with parchment paper, and grease parchment with butter as well.

In a double boiler set over low heat, melt 8 oz of the chocolate chips along with butter and peanut butter. Once mixture is melted, remove from heat, and mix in the sugar. Continue to whisk constantly while adding the bananas, followed by the eggs.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and the remaining 2 oz of chocolate chips. Whisk well to remove any lumps. Gradually add flour mixture into chocolate mixture, whisking just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a spatula. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake 20-22 minutes. Let brownies cool in pan for at least 10 minutes, before cutting.