Inauguration aka Fudge Squares

With my growing interest in finding and sharing recipes, I am christening a new blog dedicated solely to my food adventures and experiences.  To make this an official and wonderful blog from the get-go, I am including my favorite new dessert.  Well, it's the oldest dessert with which I have experience, but I recently added a little something to it to make it over the top incredible and so rich you have to share with several friends.

Fudge Squares with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp vanilla

Oven: 375˚

Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until well combined.  Combine flour and cocoa in a separate bowl, then sift into butter mixture.  Continue stirring until well-combined.  Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper, allowing sides to hang over, then spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20-25 until just set.  Allow to cool in pan 5-10 minutes, the invert on cooling rack and cool completely.  When cooled, frost and serve.

Frosting:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups  powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp milk or cream

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and peanut butter; use a mixer to mix until smooth.  Add vanilla, milk or cream, and powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat until spreading consistency.  Spread on cooled Fudge Squares.

NOTES:

1. I found that chilling these after frosting them yields a thick, solid, fudge-like version of the brownie to which I have become quite partial.  
2. You can easily double these for a crowd and cook them in a sheet pan for 30-35 minutes.
3. The Fudge Squares exist easily without the frosting, but I prefer to add a cup of chopped walnuts in this case.