KitKat Brownies

My husband and I have been visiting the local Trader Joe’s, and they always have a bounty of interesting items. Sometimes I see items and keep them in the back of my mind. I’m usually thinking “What recipe could use that item?” I don’t always have an answer, but when I was looking through recipes, I found the perfect thing! 

The recipe I found was for KitKat Brownies. Trader Joe’s had a candy bar that was a peanut butter wafer covered with chocolate. They are a little different from Kit-Kats, they are slightly thicker and aren’t scored into 4 parts. For this recipe, you need to cut the candies to fit the pan anyway. I used about three and a half bars of Trader Joe’s version, including the bit that I chopped up and sprinkled on top.

This was an unusual recipe for me that I didn’t use the mixer. You just have to make sure that you start with a large enough bowl to melt the butter and chocolate. The whisking takes a little effort, just to make sure that all of the ingredients are properly incorporated. You have barely enough batter to make the base and then top the bars. These are a little difficult to test for doneness, so I baked them for a full 30 minutes. These cut beautifully, just be careful with the wafer candies. These have a lovely crunch, but then a gooey brownie as well. They are just excellent!

KitKat Brownies
½ cup butter
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6-8 KitKat Bars (enough to fit the pan)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8” square pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut the butter into cubes and place in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the chocolate chips to the bowl. Microwave the butter/chocolate mixture in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from the microwave and whisk in the sugar, whisked eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the bowl and whisk to incorporate fully and no lumps remain. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Top with a layer of candies, cut as needed to fit the pan. Top with the remaining batter. Chop some of the remaining candies and sprinkle on top of the brownies.
 
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center of the brownies is baked. It is difficult to test the bars with the candies in the center but do your best. 

Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting them into bars.

Recipe from Bite-Sized Bash