Peanut Butter Filled Brownies

Tragedy nearly struck yesterday. We did not have enough ice cream for our traditional "Sunday night supper". BUT... I realized it in time. Close one.
So I decided to make brownies so we could have brownie sundaes and stretch our remaining ice cream. I developed a sudden need for a peanut butter filled brownie. I spent the next 40ish minutes doing in-depth internet research. No beans. Every single recipe was described as . . . . . (I can hardly bring myself to say it) . . . ."cakey". If I want cake, I eat cake. I do not normally want cake.
I was scared, but it was time to go out on a limb. Someone needed to invent a REAL P.B. filled brownie. But who wants to ruin a perfectly good batch of brownies by messing around with crazy ideas?!? Folks, they weren't ruined.
I think these are the closest we will come on this earth, to the brownies we will be eating in heaven.
James said they were perfect. If James does not like something, he feels no need (whatsoever) to conceal the fact. He then said "You need to put these on your blog thingy." I think it was a command. Then he said he was taking them to work for his chili cook-off on Friday.
This is big. See, there's this lady at work, who makes "the best" caramel filled brownies. She always brings them to every food-bringing thing. Everyone falls all over those brownies. If James brings these brownies, he is going up against a...standard. But he thinks it will go over. I was honored.

So, the brownies (Think brownie meets Reese's cup):


Let's go for an 9x13 pan recipe, O.K.? Halve everything for an 8x8. These things are the real deal. If you don't have a crowd to feed them to, do the 8x8!

1 9x13 size batch of brownie batter, a mix, your favorite recipe, or mine:
1 c butter
2 c sugar
1 c cocoa powder
4 eggs (3 if they come from your own chickens and are huge)
1 1/3 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 t vanilla

In large sauce pan cook together butter, cocoa, and sugar until butter is all melted. Throw in your eggs and vanilla, stir. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Whew, that's done.

Filling:
1 c peanut butter, (I used creamy)
1/4 c butter
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1-2 T, more or less milk or cream (I used cream because I had it)

In a sauce pan combine P.B. and butter. Stir in sugar. Add milk until you get a frosting/soft playdough texture. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it shouldn't be pourable (by a long shot!!!), yet it shouldn't be dry, crumbly, or really stiff.

In a greased 9x13, spread 1/3-1/2 of the brownie batter. Take spoonfuls of the P.B. mix, pat them flat and lay on the brownie layer. There is enough P.B. to make a nice thick layer, so if you wanted, you could only make 2/3 of the batch or so, and have a thinner layer. I wanted it good and thick though, so this was perfect for us. When you have all the P.B. on there, pour the remaining brownie on top, and spread to cover the filling. This is where my brownies being more of a batter than a dough is rather helpful.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. I checked rather often, as I had no idea how long these would bake. I started checking at 18 minutes. Bake until they are still a little soft, but aren't pouring out of the pan when you tip it a little. My toothpick came out chocolaty, but not raw-brownie-gooey. I let mine cool completely while we went to church, before cutting. Perfect.