Chocolate, Banana, and Peanut Butter Brownies

Here, after my recipe for Browned Butter and Cacao Brownies (click here), is another brownie recipe. You might think I’m a bit sadistic to give it to you, but you asked for it! I posted a recipe for tabouli that was light and refreshing, and you asked me for a giga-calorie recipe. So here it is! Brownies, yes, but brownies with chunks of chocolate, bananas, and a divine layer of peanut butter. I adore pairing banana and peanut butter, so when you add chocolate and put the three into a chewy cake, well, the result is fantastic. And you can be grateful for the snow we’ve had here, because otherwise I would have posted the recipe for another light salad.

Recipe for one 8-inch / 21 cm square pan (16 servings)

• 7 ½ oz. / 210 g bittersweet chocolate

• 5 tablespoons / 75 g unsalted butter

• 5 tablespoons / 75 g salted butter

• 2 extra large (UK: large) eggs

• 1 cup minus 3 tablespoons / 165 g sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup / 45 g flour

• 1 banana

• 4 oz. / 115 g chocolate of tour choice, cut into chunks or chips

• 4 oz. / 2/3 cup /  115 g crunchy peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 340°F / 170° C. Line the pan with wax or parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate and the two types of butter over a hot water bath or in the microwave oven in short bursts. Make sure the mixture’s not too hot. If it is, allow it to cool down so it doesn’t cook the eggs when added.

In another mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract.

Do not mix too much; we don’t want the batter to be too aerated.

Pour in the melted chocolate-butter mixture.

Add the flour and stir until just combined.

Cut the banana into half. Crush one half with a fork. Add it, with the chocolate chunks, to the batter and stir until combined.

Cut the other half of the banana into small pieces and incorporate them into the batter.

Pour evenly into the prepared brownie pan.

Add small knobs of peanut butter. As I said, I use the crunchy kind.

Using a knife or a chopstick, spread the peanut butter around a little so that each cut portion has a fair share.

No, you’re not allowed to dip in!

Bake for 30 minutes, until the edges color slightly. The top should be baked, but it must not be too baked below.

Allow to cool completely. Chill for 2 hours, turn out of the pan and cut into 16 portions.

Taste one small portion (it’s dense and rich). And if you can’t hold back, have just one more!