Crunchy Salty Sweet

Since I posted a recipe for a delicious savory Super Bowl snack (these little piggies), I thought it would only be appropriate to share an equally scrumptious sweet option with you.

Obviously considering the title of my blog, these brownies are an absolute must-have. The pretzel crust is comparable to a pretzely-shorbread, giving the brownies the hint of crunch and salt that sets off the sweet richness of the brownies. And the added peanut butter is just the icing on the cake.

You will absolutely need a large glass of milk when enjoying these rich and decadent morsels, as they are extremely dense and chocolatey. Embrace it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 square baking dish with aluminum foil.

To form the crust, mix the pretzels, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and butter together.

Press into baking dish.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and chocolate chips and stir until combined.

When melted, remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder.

Once mixture is mostly cooled, and add in eggs, one at a time.

Mix until combined.

Lastly, add in the flour, sugar and vanilla, and stir until the dough comes together.

Pour the batter over the pretzel crust.

Pour the peanut butter over the top of the batter and swirl evenly over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Adapted from: Milk and Honey

Makes: 12-16 brownies

Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 45 minutes, Total: 60 minutes

Pretzel Crust:

• 3/4 cup crushed pretzels (about 1 1/2 cups mini twists)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted

Brownie Batter:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 ounces dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 square baking dish with aluminum foil.

Mix all crust ingredients together. Press into baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and chocolate chips and stir until combined.

When melted, remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder.

Once mixture is mostly cooled, and add in eggs, one at a time. Mix until combined.

Lastly, add in the flour, sugar and vanilla, and stir until the dough comes together.

Pour the batter over the pretzel crust.

Pour the peanut butter over the top of the batter and swirl evenly over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy with a big glass of milk!