These Peanut Butter Brownies are ideal for peanut butter lovers. The homemade fudgy brownies feature beautiful swirls of creamy peanut butter within the brownie batter. Made from scratch without a mixer, these treats are both quick and easy to prepare.
Why you'll love it
These aren't just your average fudge brownies or even brookies. These are deeply chocolaty, super fudgy brownies that are stuffed with peanut butter flavor in every bite. It is the ultimate brownies for people who can't get enough peanut butter in their lives.
It is like biting into a peanut butter cup in brownie form. The contrasting textures and flavors create a harmonious blend that tantalizes the taste buds, making each bite a delightful experience that's both comforting and satisfying.
I love to amp up the peanut butter flavor by adding in mini peanut butter cups to the batter, but it is totally optional. These brownies are perfect as they are already.
Key ingredients
The ingredients used to make these peanut butter brownies is very simple, which is why the quality of the ingredients are important. I used my homemade brownies as the starting point and changed a few things to account for the peanut butter. These ingredients below are of particular importance in the recipe.
Chocolate - It is important to use a high-quality brand of chocolate for the best brownies. I highly recommend chocolate bars over chocolate chips. This is one area you should splurge on if you are able to. Brands like Lindt, Green & Black, and Ghirardelli are very good here.
Cocoa powder - You can use either natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I do think natural cocoa powder has the best flavor profile with the peanut butter, however.
Peanut butter - You should use creamy peanut butter in these brownies for easier swirling. Natural peanut butter does not work here due to the oil separation. My recommended brand is Jif.
How to make
Making these brownies is such an easy process that takes only a few short steps.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together with the sugar.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla vigorously.
- Mix in the dry ingredients and pour into your prepared pan.
- Add mini peanut butter cups, if using, then dollop peanut butter.
- Swirl the peanut butter and bake until the edges are set and the center has thick, moist crumbs clinging to an inserted toothpick.
Expert baking tips
The most important way to ensure you get the best brownies is to make sure you are correctly measuring your ingredients, particularly the flour. You should fluff up the flour and then spoon it into your measuring cup then sweep of the excess. If you want to make sure you get consistent results, you can convert the recipe to metric and use a kitchen scale.
Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. If you need to quickly bring eggs to room temperature, you can leave them in a bowl of warm water for five minutes before using.
For brownies with that glossy top, you need to really beat the eggs and sugar together very well. It also helps to add the sugar to the hot butter before adding the eggs.
Don't forget to line the baking pan with parchment paper to make it easier to take out the bars once they've cooled enough to remove from the pan.
Use a light-colored metal pan. Dark pans encourage fast browning which can leave you with burnt brownies and glass pans do not conduct heat as well leaving you with brownies that longer to bake and are a lot more dense.
Gently swirl in the peanut butter. Mixing too much will simply incorporated the peanut butter into the batter which we do not want.
Recipe FAQs
Keep your brownies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Yes, you can freeze the brownies. Freeze in an airtight container. I recommend adding a layer of parchment paper between the layers so they do not stick together. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
I highly recommend using a metal pan, especially one that made of aluminum and is not too dark. Dark pans promote quick browning which can leave you with burnt brownies. Glass pans do not conduct heat as well and would take longer to bake and give you a more dense final texture.
Absolutely. I would recommend multiplying the recipe by ⅕x to get the perfect amount for that size pan.
Recipe Card
Peanut butter brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 5 ounces chopped chocolate
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 12 mini peanut butter cups optional
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Add the butter, chopped chocolate, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a saucepan and heat on medium until the butter and chocolate are mostly melted. Stir constantly. Once they are mostly melted, remove from heat and stir until fully melted and set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla and whisk vigorously for about 2 - 3 minutes until it is well-combined.
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan. Insert the mini peanut butter cups if you are using, then dollop the peanut butter over the top and use a knife to swirl it into the batter.
- Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, up to 40, or until a toothpick comes out with very moist, thick crumbs. Cover with aluminum foil if the peanut butter seems to be browning too quickly.
- Remove and allow to cool completely in the baking pan before removing and cutting.
Leave a Reply