Peanut Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

The hubby LOVES anything involving peanut butter. Sometimes he will even stick a spoon into the jar! Whenever a batch of peanut butter "criss-cross," cookies are around, they typically don't last too long around "Cathy's Kitchen." In all my years of baking brownies, I don't think I have ever made peanut butter brownies. Well, yesterday I rectified that. Wow, these brownies smell SO good while they were baking! I think that's one of the reasons why I love to bake so much - it makes our house smell AMAZING. Too bad you can't bottle those smells, isn't it? Anyways, I was so impatient waiting for these brownies to cool - it seemed like it took FOREVER. I have tried to frost cakes before they were cooled off and it's been a disaster - hunks of cake come up with the frosting on the knife - not a pretty picture. I was pretty good about waiting for the brownies to cool and then I added the frosting. Oh my goodness, these were pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! The hubby had a  "sample" after dinner last night. I didn't have to guess how he liked his piece, there wasn't a crumb left on the plate.

Ingredients

Brownies:

3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter, smooth
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
   (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8-inch square pan with non-stick spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, put the eggs, light brown sugar, white sugar and white flour. Combine well with large spoon. Add the peanut butter, butter, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well until smooth by hand. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out clean and is golden brown. Remove pan to wire rack to cool. These brownies are awesome on their own, but if you want to make them even more yummy, make the frosting! In a small bowl, put the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract. Combine with large spoon. Add two tablespoons of milk and if too thick, add an additional tablespoon. If still too thick, add milk a teaspoon at a time until desired consistency. Frost brownies and sprinkle with the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you want) and then cut into 9-12 squares. Store covered in fridge for up to three days.