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Fun-filled weekend + new brownie recipe!

My goodness. What a week/weekend. Combine the first week of school + an (out-of-town) BFF's wedding + making 1000 chocolate-covered pretzel favors for said wedding = one happy, but exhausted Sara! I almost need a weekend from my weekend. Heh. Just kidding.


I had grand plans of doing a huge recap of the fabulous wedding... but am waiting on a few more pics to come my way. So here's a recipe instead. I made these to celebrate the first day of school. I am very excited to have people to bake for again! (Not that I can't bake for just my Business Man & myself... but we don't plow through it too quickly. Unless it's cinnamon rolls.)






I've had these Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel Brownies bookmarked from How Sweet It Is ever since Jessica posted the recipe. Salty pretzels + sweet chocolate + peanut butter? Only like the best combination ever. (Ever heard of a Take 5 bar? My absolute favorite candy bar.)






I doubled the recipe to fit a 9x13-inch pan since I was taking them to school. I would say just make a single batch unless you're feeding a crowd. These are pretty rich so a little goes a long way. 


The crunchy pretzel crust is made up of just crushed pretzels and butter.


Gave me another chance to bust out this baby.


Then the light chocolate brownie batter. Not too rich... this went well with the peanut butter topping.


Note: It is very thick! Not like typical boxed brownie batter. Don't be concerned!

Spread into the pan.

I forgot to fold my chocolate chips into the batter so I improvised. It works, right?




Then they are baked. And then the last step of deliciousness is added - a peanut butter topping, a ganache of sorts. Which I do not have pics of because at this point it was 9:30pm the night before the first day of school.



A quick trip in the fridge, and they're ready to go! Here's the breakdown.






Yum! These were a hit and I don't see how they couldn't be. And the recipe!



Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel Brownies


  • Pretzel Crust
    • 1 ¾ cups crushed pretzel pieces
    • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • Brownies
    • ½ cup butter, softened
    • 1 ½ cups sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
    •  cup chocolate chips
  • Peanut Butter Ganache
    • 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
    •  cup powdered sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 350*F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil, and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine pretzel pieces and melted butter in a small bowl until moistened. Press pretzels into the prepared pan, forming a crust.

To prepare brownie batter, beat butter and sugar with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. On medium speed, add flour, salt, and cocoa powder, mixing until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Using a spatula sprayed with nonstick spray, evenly spread brownies on top of pretzel crust. (This might be a bit tricky - it might help to spray your fingers with cooking spray and spread by hand.) Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted 1-2 inches from the edge comes out clean.

When brownies are almost done, melt peanut butter in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Once melted, stir in powdered sugar and mix until no lumps remain. When brownies are finished, remove from the oven and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours; cut into bars and serve.


Source: How Sweet It Is

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Here's a couple snapshots from the weekend... stay tuned for a full re-cap!


Multiply this by about 22.




Me and the BEAUTIFUL bride! (There are zoo animals on the wall because we got ready in the church nursery.)


And our road trip eats today... yummy Cracker Barrel and delicious lime-ades from Sonic. Life is good.


I think could drink this syrup straight up. Syrup shots, anyone? Heh.

Why don't we have Sonic in the Bean Town?
Adios! Have a great week!

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