brownies Archives - Sweet Potato Bites

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Imagine rich cocoa powder + Peanut Butter and Co.’s Dark Chocolate Dreams baked into gooey perfection and topped with dried goji berries. It may sound like a strange combo, but believe me, it works. The Yum Squad was tasked to participate in a #mysteryingredient challenge in honor of National Peanut Month, and so Peanut Butter Goji Berry Brownies were born.

When I found out the dried goji berries were my mystery ingredient, I was beyond excited. I happen to LOVE goji berries and use them in smoothies, granola, healthy cookies and even just eat them out of the bag as a snack. I knew I wanted to do something sweet with the goji berries since they are on the tart side, and decided peanut butter brownies was the way to go.

I made these peanut butter goji berry brownies for our family’s annual Academy Awards viewing party and they were a huge hit! Even with my grandmother, who asked what “those red things were.” The key to this recipe is to add the goji berries when the brownies are practically done baking and on the gooey side, otherwise they will turn brown and don’t look nearly as appetizing.

I used Dark Chocolate Dreams as my base peanut butter for these brownies, but you could also use Smooth Operator, White Chocolate Wonderful, The Bee’s Knees or even Crunch Time for some added texture. The possibilities are endless.

Peanut Butter Goji Berry Brownies (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chopped into pieces
2 additional tablespoons of butter (to be used for the filling)
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Guittard)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark chocolate dreams peanut butter
1/2 cup goji berries

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with either parchment paper or grease with butter.

Take your 2 tablespoons of butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter and melt in a saucepan over low heat. Once the mixture has melted, set aside to cool

In a large mixing bowl whisk your flour, salt, baking powder, unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar together. Add your eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk until the batter is well blended.

In a separate saucepan, melt your 8 tablespoons of butter and pour into the dry mixture. Gently fold in your peanut butter mixture and continue to mix until the batter is nice and thick.

Pour your batter into your baking dish and place in the oven for 40 minutes. At the 40 minute mark, sprinkle your goji berries on top and continue to bake for another 5 minutes, or until the brownies are nice and gooey in the center.