Recipe: Gluten-Free Marbled Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies

Before my CD diagnosis, I never had a sweet tooth.

Post-diagnosis, I've wanted sugary sweets every single day. Maybe I'm craving it because I eat less carbs now? Maybe because most gluten-free baking books have desserts on the cover? I don't know why, and I try to resist the urge, but man oh man -- all I want is cookies and cakes and scones.

Enter Marbled Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies.

Awww, yeah.

I made up this recipe after seeing a similar-looking treat at a potluck. The original married chocolate chip cookie bars and brownies into one sexy-looking dessert.

But I didn't want cookies. I wanted peanut butter. I used a standard flourless peanut butter cookie recipe and combined it with a fudgy brownie box mix for an easy bar that looks... kinda fancy. Because the dough and batter are dropped in alternating spoonfuls, the brownie is marbled throughout instead of just on top. It's not the first time it's been done, but man, I was proud of myself.

More importantly, they taste good. I brought some to work and my sugar-conscious boss kept sneaking small pieces.


Gluten-Free Marbled Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies


Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker gluten-free brownie mix
1 cup natural smooth peanut butter*
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 inch non-stick pan.

In medium bowl, combine brownie mix, butter and two of the eggs. In separate bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and remaining egg.

Place alternating spoonfuls of brownie batter and peanut butter dough in the pan. Try to get a good mix of the two, but don't swirl them together too much. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting, or you will be eating peanut butter chocolate crumbs instead of brownies.


*For this recipe, I recommend natural peanut butter -- many peanut butter brands contain added sugar (or, in some cases, HFCS), which results in a way-too-sweet dessert. I use Adam's 100% Natural Peanut Butter, which has to be stirred. For best results, stir and refrigerate before use -- at least a few hours. Otherwise, the peanut butter is oily and the dough doesn't hold as well.