Disappearing Chocolate-Peanut Bars for a Covert Affair

Several months ago, I was asked by a website developer to contribute to a blog feature where recipes would be associated with  television programs. Unfortunately, the venture never materialized and I was left with a post in limbo. Because it was time sensitive and will now do them no good, I decided to share it with you tonight. I had great fun doing this and I hope you will have fun reading it. The bars are delicious and just the thing for a spy who has a weakness for chocolate and is about to go "dark".

As a fan of the espionage genre, I've spent winter in the cold, warmed only by the high octane plots of "Homeland" and "The Americans". Come summer, I'm ready for the warmer, more escapist antics of CIA operative Annie Walker and her unlikely handler, Auggie Anderson, a blind military intelligence agent who guides her through the often muddy waters of their craft. The pair are the lynch pins around which the fast paced and charming plots of "Covert Affairs" revolve. Both have pasts of their own and this season we are teased with the prospect that the two will become romantically involved. We'll have to see. There is a lot going on this summer and many of the episodes will be filmed on location, so the backdrops against which they are shot promise to be spectacular. There will be some familiar themes. We know there is another high-placed mole in their ranks and the torturous relationship between Joan and Arthur, their respective bosses, has to be resolved. That guarantees there will be no lack of angst in the episodes this summer. I am ready for it. You'll find me in my easy chair on Tuesday nights enjoying the capers of the bright and empowered Annie Walker, who, it seems, can do everything but cook. I thought I'd help her along with my recipe for Disappearing Chocolate Peanut Bars. Now you see them, now you don't, I think you'll find they're a perfect treat to enjoy while watching "Covert Affairs".

Disappearing Chocolate Peanut Bars

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup baking cocoa
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1-1/4 cups chopped salted peanuts
Icing
1-1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

Step 1. Assemble ingredients. Line bottom of a 13 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper. Generously grease pan and paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2. Combine sugar, butter, peanut butter, cocoa, eggs, egg white, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Alternately beat in flour and evaporated milk just until blended. Fold in nuts.

Step 3. Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. While pan cools, combine milk chocolate and peanut butter chips in a microwave bowl. Cook on high for 1 minute and stir. Continue to cook in 30 second intervals until chips can be stirred smooth. Remove brownies from pan and spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into squares or bars.

One Year Ago Today: Apple and Cheese Quick Bread

Two Tears Ago Today: Pasta all' Amatriciana

Three Years Ago Today: Huevos ahogados en Salsa Verde

Four Years Ago Today: Tomato Jam

Home Alone Three - Microwave Mocha Mug Brownie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It won't rock your world or change your life, but if you're home alone and facing an attack of the chocolate munchies, this simple dessert, made just for one, can quickly right your world, and do it in a no fuss, no bother kind of way way. You'll need a large cup, a fork, some measuring spoons and a microwave oven to pull this one off. The ingredients are mixed in the same cup in which the brownie bakes, so there is no mess involved and clean-up is minimal. If you want the chocolate in your mug to have a brownie-like texture, nuke it on high power for 75 seconds. If you prefer something more like a molten lava cake, aim for the 60 second mark. This will never make your list of favorite chocolate desserts, but it is a quick way to stop those chocolate cravings. Here's the recipe.

Microwave Mocha Mug Brownie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
1 dash salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
1) In a 12 oz coffee mug, add water, butter, vanilla, espresso powder and a dash of salt. Whisk well.
2) Add cocoa powder, whisk well. Add sugar, whisk well. Add flour, whisk well.
3) Microwave for 60 to 90 seconds. Center should be slightly molten. Careful not to overcook.
4) Enjoy with a scoop of ice cream. Eat with a spoon. Careful brownie will be hot. Yield:1 serving







One Year Ago Today: Make-Ahead Garlic Sauce














Two Years Ago Today: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp















Three Years Ago Today: Pink Lemonade Granita















Four Years Ago Today: Soy-Glazed Hasselback Potatoes for Two

Black and Tan Brownies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Margaret Johnson is the author of five books on Irish cooking, all of which can be found here. One of the many recipes she's developed is a brownie, called the Black and Tan. It's named after the British auxiliary forces that were sent to Ireland to suppress rebels after the 1916 Easter Rising. The reviled Black and Tan subdued the rebellion but in doing so, they fueled the spirit of the Irish Republican movement and the quest for Irish independence. Folk singers set the deeds of the British soldiers to music and eventually Irish pubs began to serve a drink, called the Black and Tan, which was made half with Harp Lager and half with Guinness Stout. Margaret Johnson loosely patterned her brownies after the famous draught. I had open a bottle of stout for another recipe and still had some remaining. Rather than let it go to waste, I decided to give this recipe a try. While most brownies are simple to make, these rich two-toned treats are a bit more involved. The end result is a moist dense confection that many will like. I hope you will try these and let me know what you think. There is nothing here not to like, the real question is will you like them enough to make them again. Here's the recipe.

Black and Tan Brownies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite first published by Margaret M. Johnson in The Irish Spirit

Ingredients:
Tan layer
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
Black layer
3 ounces (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
1) Place one rack in lower third of oven. Place another rack in center. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2) To prepare tan layer: Combine butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour, baking powder, salt and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake in lower third of oven 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
3) To make black layer: Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on low 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in sugar until well combined. Add eggs, vanilla and Guinness, stirring until well combined. Add flour and salt, whisking well to combine. Slowly pour mixture over partially baked tan layer.
4) Bake on center rack of oven for 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a wire rack before cutting into small squares. Yield: 16 to 32 brownies (depending on size).







One Year Ago Today: Double Chocolate Mint Brownies














Two Years Ago Today: Florentine Schiacciata - Carnival Cake