Quick and Easy Brownies with Peanut Butter

June 9, 2008

This might be enough of a reason to describe me as certifiably insane, but I decided to bake yesterday. It should be noted that this was the temperature outside after it had cooled down two degrees:

While I was baking it was “98, feels like 101” with 40% humidity and I have no air conditioning in most of my apartment. The small air conditioning unit I have is barely powerful enough to cool my bedroom which is on the opposite end of the apartment from the kitchen. So I’ve been trying to resist my baking urges and steer clear of the sweltering kitchen.

But… i had a craving.

And at least I’m not crazy enough to have spent longer than 10 minutes in there. I’ve been on a mission to clean out my pantry lately and re-discovered some Cookin’ Cajun Killer Chocolate Brownie Mix that lurked in one of the cabinets. I had purchased it on a trip to New Orleans a couple months ago. All you have to do is add 3/4 cup melted butter and two eggs to the mix, pour it into a 9x9 inch baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Easy as pie. Er … brownies.

I wanted peanut butter brownies but didn’t want to stay in the kitchen long enough to make a fancy icing or anything. So the second the brownies came out of the oven, I scattered 3/4 cup of peanut butter chips on top and dotted them with 2-1/2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter. After waiting two minutes (you might need to wait a few more, if your house is air-conditioned) for the chips to melt completely, I blended the peanut butter mixture all over the top of the warmed brownies using a rubber spatula.

And if you think I’m crazy, at least I had the self-control to wait until they cooled. Taste tester dove right in and made a face because they were too hot. This of course didn’t stop him from eating the brownie, in fact he even had seconds.

It appears that this mix is nowhere to be seen on Cookin’ Cajun’s website, which is unfortunate because it was quite good. We’ve also tried their cornbread mix, which was not only good but even held up wonderfully after being prepared, frozen and re-heated. However they do have other mixes available including a Pecan Cornbread Mix and a mix for Bread Pudding with Raisins (YUM!). What do these have to do with chocolate and peanut butter? Nothing, really. Sorry, I got distracted.

Of course you don’t have to make these with Cookin’ Cajun’s Brownie Mix because it would work with any kind. It’s just that… well… this one’s really good! I’m all for rich fudgey brownies though so if you’re a fan of cakey brownies, seek your mix elsewhere.

Hope this helps you feed your craving while staying cool! I realize ice cream is a better “stay cool” dessert, but I can’t post about ice cream every day of the summer. I may eat chocolate and peanut butter every single day, but I gotta mix it up a little bit. :P

Recap: Prepare and bake brownie mix as directed in a 9x9 inch pan. As soon as brownies are done, spread 3/4 cup peanut butter chips and dot with 2-1/2 Tbsp smooth peanut butter. Let sit a few minutes just until the chips have melted. Blend the peanut butter mixture all over the brownies.