Trial and Error: One brownie, two flavors
Tiara Holt experiments with a sweet brownie recipe in this week’s Trial and Error.
//Photo by Tiara Holt
After being inspired by a seemingly easy chocolate cookie recipe on Pinterest that involved peanut butter chips, I decided to give it a try, only in my recipe I planned on baking brownies instead.
However, considering my unconventional baking history, I knew that I had to prepare for a plan b, especially since this was my first attempt. I decided to add chopped walnuts into the other side of the brownie mix in case the peanut butter chips didn’t come out right.
While I mixed in the peanut butter chips correctly, they still didn’t melt while the brownies were baking. This left small globs of peanut butter chips hidden inside the brownies, unlike a thin smooth swirl like I expected. I then realized that it was all because of one crucial mistake: I didn’t melt the peanut butter chips beforehand like I was supposed to.
All in all, these brownies turned out pretty good, aside from the off-putting appearance and odd tasting, unmelted peanut butter chips that I took out.
There are a couple of things I would like to share before I get into the steps, so please note the following:
-Regardless of how long you have to leave the brownie mix in the oven, take the brownies out if the top is shiny and begins to crack.
-If you want that peanut butter swirl inside of your brownies, please melt them first.
Things You’ll Need:
-1 box of Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
-Pam Baking Cooking Spray (or any other nonstick cooking spray)
-1 cup of water
-2/3 cup of oil
-2 eggs
-1/4 cup of Reese’s Peanut Butter Baking Chips
-1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
-Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Icing (Optional)
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 (or 325 depending on the pan) and spray pan with cooking spray
-Mix the brownie mix, eggs, oil in a large bowl until well combined
-Pour one layer of brownie mix onto pan (leave a little inside the bowl for adding later)
-Pour Reese’s Peanut Butter Baking Chips into one side of the pan, mix with a spoon (you can still follow this step if you choose to melt your chips, just substitute)
-Stir chopped walnuts into the other side of the mix with a spoon
-Pour remaining mix onto the top
-Place pan into the oven and bake for 30 minutes (or until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean)
-Let cool and then proceed to cutting (top with icing if you wish)
Makes about 20 brownies
Featured image by Tiara Holt
Edited by Taylor Owens
Tiara Holt is a senior at the University of Tennessee majoring in Journalism and Electronic Media with a minor in Cinema Studies. Aside from being a rock music enthusiast and food lover, her pastimes include drawing, painting, reading and watching The X-Files.
