PB-Choc. Chip Brownie help needed

[Heidi]

I attempted the Peanut butter chocolate chip brownies from the June 2000 CL that so many of you have raved about. They were a crashing failure! Here's what happened.

I know I followed the recipe correctly, though I did bake them at 375 rather than 350 (often bake things at slightly higher temps as I live at a high altitude) The brownies came out of the oven looking and smelling great, but as they cooled, the entire middle fell. It was not cooked at all!

I put the pan back in the oven, this time at 350, and baked them for a while. Once again, the center rose beautifully, then fell completely when I took it out to cool. My final product was flat and nasty in the middle, and hard and crusty around the edges. From what I could taste of it, it had the potential to be really good, but was lacking big time.

So was the problem that I cooked it at too high of a temp? Or could it have been the leavening, which sometimes is tricky at high altitude. I am afraid to make this again until I know what I did wrong.

Thanks, Heidi

[mlynn]

Heidi--

I don't have a solution, but I think you may be right about the high altitude. I live at a higher elevation, and had the same thing happen both times I've made these brownies. I baked them at the correct temperature, but used a glass pan. I'm sure I'll make them again (even with the sucken center, they are delicious), and if I ever solve the mystery, I'll let you know what I did.

[ColoradoCook]

Hi Heidi,

Your question brings me out of lurkdom on this great board. I bake at reasonably high altitude (Denver area) and made the peanut butter brownies with no problems, although I thought them a bit dry (got better with storage).

I don't recall changing the leavening, liquid, or flour, so if I did it was a minimal change. I did bake in a metal pan, as I seem to get more reliable results that way. Your oven temp increase should work at altitude, but could that have made a difference?

It's a puzzling problem and I hope you find the answer.

Carol

[joanieb]

Heidi! You are not alone in your failure with the P-B Choc. Chip brownies, dearie! I don't know what WE did wrong, cause I don't have that altitude-baking issue, and I didn't notice the puffing up part, but they seemed so "raw" after I had baked an x-tra 5 minutes, that I put them back in for another l0! After they cooled just a little, (they smelled SO good!), and even cooled completely, the edges were awfully hard/crusty, and the middle was still "wet"--didn't stop us from devouring them, tho! Many have raved about the other brownies, and I haven't tried again, but let's don't give up, and keep eating our failures!
joanieb