peanut butter truffle brownies

Chocolate and peanut butter all wrapped up into one indulgent bar. Start with a no-fail brownie mix, then add layers of peanut butter and melted chocolate chips. This brownie is ultra rich, so a small piece goes a long way. 

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie Base

• 1 box brownie mix
• Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

Filling

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons milk

Topping

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.) Make brownies as directed on box. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
2. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.
3. In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Cut into desired size.

ghirardelli double chocolate cookies

This recipe can be found on the Ghirardelli website and is to die for! Slightly crusty on the outside and rich and gooey on the inside. If you like chocolate, this cookie is worth every calorie. 

YIELD:

24 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounce(s) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 10 ounce(s) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cups chopped walnuts (optional)   

DIRECTIONS:

1. In double boiler over hot water, melt bittersweet chocolate chips and butter. In large bowl with electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs and sugar until thick; stir into chocolate mixture. In small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture. Gently mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts (optional). 
2. Using a sheet of plastic wrap, form dough into two logs, each 2 inches in diameter and about 12 inches long. As dough will be quite soft, use plastic wrap to hold dough in log shape. Wrap tightly; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm. 
3. Heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap dough; with sharp knife, cut into 3/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 1/2 inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until shiny crust forms on top but interior is still soft. Cool on baking sheet; store in airtight tin up to 1 week.   

Note: I found that using the suggested amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips made the cookie too rich, so reduce the quantity as necessary. Also, to make a different variation of this cookie, substitute half of the semi-sweet chocolate chips for peanut butter chips.