I probably don’t need to say it, but holy decadent, batman!

I had these beautiful brownies bookmarked over at Loves to Eat for the longest time, just waiting for an excuse to make them. I figured Labor Day, and specifically my friend Lynn’s party, was good enough for me. As an added bonus, other people would be at this party, ensuring I wouldn’t eat the entire pan myself. Thanks, other people.

These remind me of the chocolate peanut butter cake I’ve made, but with much less effort and time expenditure. But the payoff is still awesome. The brownie base is super fudgey and rich, so I cut these into 24 squares and one is plenty (at least for a couple hours!). The peanut butter filling is really just frosting, which works for me. And the topping originally didn’t call for any cream, but I wanted something that wouldn’t set up as a hard layer, and adding a bit of cream to make a ganache worked out perfectly. The peanut butter layer is soft and silky and the ganache is smooth but still a bit soft, even from the fridge.

Make these. You know you want to.

Peanut Butter Brownies

Brownie layer
1 c butter
2 c sugar
3 eggs
3 t vanilla
2/3 c cocoa powder (Dutch process is fine)
1 c AP flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder

PB filling
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
2 c powdered sugar
~2 t milk

Ganache topping
1/4 c peanut butter
2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c butter
1/4 c cream

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil to make a sling, or use parchment, and coat with cooking spray. I only used a heavy dose of cooking spray, and that still wasn’t enough for these fudgey brownies, so I recommend lining the pan for once.

2. For the brownies, melt the butter in a large saucepot. Remove from heat, add the sugar and stir to combine. Beat in eggs and vanilla until homogeneous. Add cocoa, baking powder and salt and combine. Add flour last and stir until combined. Spread into pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

3. For peanut butter filling/frosting, combine the ingredients and beat until smooth. Add more milk if necessary to make it spreadable. Try not to eat all the frosting before your brownies are cool.

4. For the ganache, combine the ingredients in a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl. Melt together and combine.

5. Once the brownies are cool, spread the frosting on top. Place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes until the frosting sets up a bit. Pour the ganache over the top and spread gently. Return to the fridge until set. I like to keep them in the fridge and serve cold because the brownies are so fudgey.

Next time you reach for a box of brownie or cookie mix…STOP! Make these instead. They’re just as fast as a mix, I promise. And chances are you’ll already have all the ingredients already in your pantry if you bake more than once a year. The recipe (from Cook’s Illustrated, once again) makes a 9×13-inch pan that’s just the right thickness, and has the perfect ratio of chocolate to dough.

This is also perfect if you’re feeling lazy but really want chocolate chip cookies. Because who wants to spoon out dough and bake in batches? Not to mention if you’re a fan of chewy, soft cookies, then this is also a recipe for you. OK, it’s really a recipe for everyone, I guess. It’s chewy, chocolatey, one-bowl, super fast and simple. What’s not to love?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 1/8 c AP flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
12 T butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 t vanilla
2 c chocolate chips (about one 12 oz bag)

1. Preheat oven to 325. Melt butter in a large microwave safe mixing bowl.

2. Add sugars and mix until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3. Dump in your dry ingredients except chips, and fold together with a spatula or wooden spoon, just until combined. Don’t overmix or the gluten will develop and make the cookies tough. Fold in the chocolate chips.

4. Spread in greased 9×13 pan (the dough will be a little greasy, but don’t worry). Bake until just set in the middle, 27-30 minutes.

This recipe, if you can even call something this simple a recipe, is all about a technique that also happens to be one of my favorite words: macerate. Isn’t that a lovely word? It evokes what happens when you macerate fruit; it gets all juicy and a little squishy and all the goodness runs out to make it’s own syrupy sauce. Yum.

Again, this is another thing that doesn’t really have a recipe, but I’ll do my best. Serve it over vanilla ice cream as we do most of the time, or in strawberry shortcake, or in a yogurt parfait, or on oatmeal, or on pancakes or waffles…You get the idea. It’s good on everything.

Vanilla Macerated Strawberries

strawberries, sliced
white sugar, to taste, but at least a couple tablespoons
half a vanilla bean

1. Slice the half vanilla bean in two lengthwise, then scrape the seeds into a bowl with the strawberries and sugar. Mix thoroughly, then let sit on the counter or in the fridge for 30 minutes. Mix again, then serve. The sugar will bring out all the juices from the fruit and create a syrup. You don’t have to eat this right away, but the fruit breaks down the longer it sits, so I usually use it within a day, otherwise the strawberries start losing their color and get mushy.

Blueberries were on sale at Sendik’s, 4 pints for $5. Not too shabby. I bought them before I knew what I was going to do with them…An impulse buy I guess. In the end I decided to make crisp, as oppossed to cobbler, buckle, crumble, grunt or whatever other regional variation of fruit+carbs. I almost always have everything already on hand for crisp, I love oats, and it’s super easy. Crisp is a great way to use up those impulse berries you buy this summer.

This is a general recipe as I never really measure crisp ingredients. For the fruit, if you like it thicker, add more cornstarch. If your berries are sour and not ripe, add a bit more sugar. For the topping, you’re looking to add enough butter that it turns into wet, coarse sand. If you squeeze it together in your hand, it will hold it’s shape, then crumble into large chunks.

Blueberry Crisp

4 pints blueberries, washed and picked over
1/2 to 3/4 c sugar, to taste
3-4 T cornstarch
1 T lemon juice
2/3 c flour
2/3 c brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1 stick butter, chilled and diced

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine fruit, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a bowl. Pour into a 9×13 pan.

2. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, oats and salt in a bowl. Add chilled butter chunks and work with fingers, fork or pastry cutter until butter is evenly distributed and mixture holds its shape when squeezed. Squeeze mixture, then crumble coarse chunks over the fruit. Bake until browned and bubbly, 30-40 mintues.

This recipe brings together two great things: cupcakes and cheesecake. And it’s got lots of other things going for it, too. The cheesecakey part adds enough moisture and creaminess that you don’t need frosting, eliminating the extra frosting steps. Plus I didn’t even use the Kitchen Aid for this one, just a quick blend with my hand mixer for the cream cheese and a good old fashioned wooden spoon for the batter. Couldn’t be easier. Found the recipe on allrecipes.com.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 c sugar
1/8 t salt
1 c miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c water
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 T cider vinegar
1 t vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.