It was midnight and I was searching for cabbage recipes from my cookbook library. For reasons unknown, I started flipping through Tish Boyle’s The Good Cookie. Obviously my favourite cookie resource did not fulfill my quest for cabbage goodness but it offered something even better. In the Bar Cookie chapter, my eyes lingered over recipe after recipe of brownies in their many guises. I felt the rise of the familiar midnight brownie craving and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I really ought to be in bed but the promise of soft fudgy treat was tempting. First, I only cut some parchment paper to line the pan. Innocent enough and I could stop what I was doing at any minute. There’s never any harm in having another prepared pan, right? I glanced at my pantry and realized the sugar containers were low. Oh, why not just top them up so they would be ready the next time I bake? My sugar jars were obviously too small and I had some leftover in the paper bag. My gaze fell on the recipe once more. Without even thinking, I converted the volume measurement to weight and scaled out exactly the amount of sugar I needed for Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies.
That was the point of no return. I scaled out all remaining ingredients despite better judgement. I got out my treasured jar of Jif creamy peanut butter (they are no longer available in Canada and I stock up every time I travel to the US). Some Scharffen Berger chocolate. Unsalted peanuts. Butter, flour, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, the usual suspects.
Within an hour, I was surrounded by the irresistible aroma of peanut and chocolate. I made plenty of brownies before but the idea of combining two dessert in one never fails to fascinate. On the bottom was a layer of flourless peanut butter cookie. It was topped with a thick layer of moist fudgy brownie boosted with unsweetened chocolate for maximum chocolate taste. The generous scattering of peanuts roasted to perfection during the long baking time. Plus I was getting sleepy. I never knew the smell of brownies can make one sleepy.
The pan of Double Decker Peanut Butter Brownies cooled while I drifted to slumber. This morning, as I was eating breakfast, it took a quick trip to the fridge. The brownies hardened just enough for me to cut them into neat pieces with a serrated knife. I could not stop staring at the distinct layers of peanut butter and chocolate. Even though the brownies were tall, they were still manageable to take in both layers in one bite. The taste of these BFF mingled in my mouth even though I did not have enough hours of sleep. It would have been sensible to go to bed early but since when do brownies inspire sensible behaviour?
