Baking Love

I have a list of recipes. Whenever I find a recipe, usually on a blog or a recipe site, I put it on my list. My list is incredibly long and the point of it is not really to bake everything on it, though I certainly aspire to that, but to not forget recipes I’ve found. Since I now have a surplus of marshmallow, I went looking for recipes using marshmallow. This recipe for Fluffernutter Brownies is from Virtual Frolic. She put it together from David Lebovitz’s Dulce de Leche Brownies and a Peanut Butter Swirl from Good Housekeeping. I put bits of whole marshmallow in between the layers on one side and you can see on the right where it is darker, the marshmallow bubbled up and melted there. These brownies have a difference in texture between the peanut butter and chocolate layers that is pleasing.

Fluffernutter Brownies

115g (8 tablespoons) salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces

170g (6oz) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

25g (1/4 cup) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3 large eggs

200g (1 cup) caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

140g (1 cup) gluten-free flour blend (xanthan gum is not necessary, but won’t hurt if your blend has it)

optional: 100g (1 cup) toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

Peanut Butter Swirl:

225g (1 cup) peanut butter

75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar

55g (4 tablespoons) butter, softened

15g (2 tablespoons) gluten-free flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

16 large marshmallow, melted

Preheat the oven to 175C (350 F). Line a 20 cm (8 in) square tin with foil, creating an overhang over the sides.

Melt the butter in a bowl (heatproof) set over a pot of boiling water, essentially a double boiler. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla extract, then the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.

Now for the peanut butter swirl. Beat together butter, peanut butter, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and egg until smooth and well blended. Melt the marshmallow and add to the rest. Scrape half the chocolate batter into the prepared tin. Spoon about 2/3rds to 3/4th of the peanut butter swirl onto the chocolate batter. Spread the remaining chocolate batter over the top. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining peanut butter swirl over the top of that. Use a knife to swirl the peanut butter slightly, then it lives up to its name. So it goes: chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate, peanut butter. (I put bits of whole marshmallow between the layers one one side, but it adds a stickiness that not everyone may prefer.)

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. (Mine were done in 35.) The brownies are done when they feel slightly firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool completely.