Should I hit “publish”? Millions of complete strangers are going to read what I’ve just written… is it really a good idea to get so personal? Someone could twist the meaning of my words, or I could unintentionally offend someone. What if I’ve worded something poorly and it comes across in a way I didn’t intend? There’s still time to back out!
This was me on Monday, before sending the Chocolate Covered Katie Anorexic? post out into the world.
Close eyes. Hit publish. Can’t back out now.
Whenever I publish a post, I try not to think about anyone reading; I try to pretend it’s back in the old days, like when I wrote my very first blog post and had exactly zero readers aside from myself. And maybe my dog.
Anyway, the worry was unfounded in this case. I’ve never been so moved by a response to a blog post as I was on Monday.
Turning on the computer and seeing the kindness from readers around the world who took time out of their day to message someone they’d never met was so heartwarming.
Hopefully this post does not sound too sappy… I can’t seem to find the right words for just how grateful I am for the support, compassion, and love.
You all mean the world to me. I hope you know that.
Now I’ll stop talking for a while, and—true Italian that I am—will instead express my gratitude through food.
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye Brownies include many of the foods I love most in the world: peanut butter, chocolate, brownies, and… is there even anything else?
Those are the only foods that matter, in my extraordinarily-humble (and not-at-all-biased) opinion.
Thank you again for your kindness towards me… And enjoy the buckeye brownies!!
I only wish I could make and send them to you for real!
If you could choose just ONE favorite food to eat for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Such a tough question! I’m not sure what my absolute favorite food would be! Oh wait… Yes I am. 
Oh wait… Yes I am.
Peanut Butter Buckeye Brownies
Brownie Layer:
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp milk of choice (270g)
- 2 tbsp flaxmeal (11g)
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil (110g)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (15g)
- 1 cup spelt, all-purpose, or Bob’s gf flour (120g)
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder (80g)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or date sugar (115g)
- 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- only if using Bob’s flour, add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/3 cup stevia baking blend or regular sugar
- 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Buckeye Brownies: Preheat your oven to 330F and grease a 9×13 pan. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all liquid ingredients with the flax. (Note: If baking with coconut oil, melt first and have all other liquid ingredients be at room temperature to prevent hardening.) In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine all remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry, stir to combine, and pour into prepared pan. Bake 16 minutes. Brownies will look underdone when they come out but this is okay! Let cool, then refrigerate overnight and the texture will firm up nicely. DO NOT frost and eat until the next day, as the taste and texture will change while they set. (If you’d prefer a flourless option, you can use 1.5x my Black Bean Brownies as the base instead.)
Peanut Butter Layer:
- 1 cup peanut butter, or allergy-friendly alternative (230g)
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (120g), or more if needed
- pinch stevia, or 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp salt
Do this after the brownies have set: Bring the peanut butter to room temperature if it’s been chilled, then stir all ingredients together until smooth. It will look thin at first, but keep stirring until it gets thick! Spread evenly over the brownies, then refrigerate at least 2 hours. Then make the chocolate, leaving the brownies in the fridge until the chocolate is already made:
Chocolate Layer:
- 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder (20g)
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (15g)
- 1/4 cup melted virgin coconut oil (38g) (Coconut-Free Option: You can just use melted chocolate chips for the top)
Stir together all ingredients until a thin sauce forms. If sauce is too thick, gently heat until thin. Spread evenly over the brownies, then immediately put back in the fridge to harden the coating. Once hard, you can cut the brownies. My trick is to cut brownies with a plastic knife, wiping the knife after every cut. Store leftovers in the fridge, or they are actually really good frozen as well!
Link Of The Day:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I love your blog so much that I was personally offended to hear that some people were so rude to you! I think you handled it very well though. Thank you for being such a kind person (and such a great baker :D).
Peanut butter by far! I am to peanut butter as you are to chocolate. Can’t go a day without it! And brownies are definetly high on my fav foods list. These look incredible
Hi katie I am wondering what brand of baking stevia you use as well as date sugar? And what perfentage fat of milk is included in your nutrition facts?
NuNaturals stevia. No preference for date sugar. And I usually use Silk almondmilk as my milk of choice.
These look too darn good! Loving the chocolate layer on top, mmm 😀 x
If I had to choose one food it’d have to be pizza! But chocolate and peanut butter is a close second.. I love that combo! These look delicious and I can’t wait to try them out!
Hi Katie! I definitely relate to your feelings every time I write a post. I eventually got over my ‘publish’ fright after I realized no one really read my blog. About a week ago I almost had a heart attack when I first posted a link to my blog on my Facebook. Since then, my ‘publish’ hesitation is back.
It’s soothing to know you go through the same thing. I am inspired by reading your first blog post and love your website even more knowing how much it has evolved and grown since then. Keep up all the amazing work! Thank you for your candidness and honesty as well. As someone who has suffered in the past from similar running obsessions and health issues, I definitely appreciate you!
How did you know that buckeyes are one of my FAVORITE THINGS EVAR? 😀
Those look amazing!! I can’t gain the freshman 15 if I eat those.. right?
http://www.ezubai.blogspot.com
Wow Katie! Talk of showing appreciation! When I saw the post on my blogger dashboard I was like “Yes, yes, yes!!!!”. I LOVE chocolate and I LOVE peanut butter. And being vegan I miss Reeses a lot. But … I think these definitely win! I just made Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies a week or so ago so I’ll probably have to wait to make these … (not that I want to of course 🙂 ) Thank you for this wonderful recipe and btw your last post was beautiful.
Man you are making my to-make dessert list so long … it’s like all the recipes on your blog plus a few others – lol 😉
ZOMG, these look and sound amazing!! And I would happily make a roadtrip to DC for you to make them for me. 😉 Must find time to make these soon!
Not sure if my comment posted on yesterday’s entry (was getting web error messages), but just in case wanted to re-iterate how wonderful you are. We are not one-size-fits-all, and your blog personifies this with your super-customizable recipes that are easily tailored to taste and dietary preferences. Keep doing your thing and don’t let the haters get you down!
Ooh sorry about that. My site was having all sorts of server issues on Monday. But I’m pretty sure I remember reading your comment on there! 🙂
These look amazing! Your blogging is awesome because it’s so authentic. I wish you could send me some of these too… but I guess I’ll just make them myself… right now 🙂
Katie, you are AMAZING! Such a positive and inspirational person! As one commenter said, you get back what you send out! Thank you for your bravery and honesty with your post yesterday! It is hard to be so open in a forum where people can be so cruel. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself, and you did so in such a graceful way.
I’m excited to try this recipe… though I’m thinking of making them in a mini-muffin tin so they are a little more “tidy” and bit size… Do you think this could work? Or, do you think it will be a disaster?
HUGS
You can always experiment!
Katie,
You rock. You’re beautiful. Love ya, thanks for the recipes. Don’t let the meanies get to ya!
Xoxo God bless
It was a great post that you did on Monday 🙂 and its so adorable that you want us to moonch on these brownies as well 🙂 Have an epic weekend!
Penny x
No they look like the most perfect brownie in the world! So glad I have found your blog xx
aforvogue.blogspot.co.uk
Hey, I tried making these and my butter layer doesn’t look like the pic at all.. I did use almond and cashew and rice malt but I can’t see how the peanut butter and maple would have turned out like the pic either.. was it some particular brand of pb and some method of mixing?
Thank you.. the brownie itself is well worth the overnight wait it’s delicious
Can you tell me how it looks? And what pb you used?
It is possible that you simply did not stir the pb mixture long enough. When I made it, it looked weird and lumpy at first but I just kept stirring and soon enough I got creamy perfection that looks exactly like the photos!
Wow!!! These look gorgeous. I want to eat them. Like, now.