These chocolate peanut butter brownies are delicious chocolate brownies with creamy peanut butter swirled through the batter. They are easy to whip up without a mixer, and are perfect for peanut butter and chocolate lovers!
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These peanut butter brownies are super chocolatey and delicious. They’re also super simple to make.
Chocolate and peanut butter are one of the best combinations ever. This recipe was inspired by tahini brownie recipe. I swapped out the tahini for peanut butter.
For more peanut butter recipes, try my Nutella and peanut butter cake, no bake peanut butter butterscotch bars, and peanut butter brownie cookies.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- These chocolate peanut butter fudge brownies are deeply chocolately and swirled with sweet creamy peanut butter!
- Chocolate and peanut butter make the best combination!
- They have the best texture. Everyone will love the crispy edges and fudgy chocolatey middles.
- You do not need a mixer to make these easy peanut butter brownies.
Ingredients
Below are some useful notes about some ingredients used in these chocolate and peanut butter brownies.
- Unsalted Butter-The amount of salt can vary by brand, so I use unsalted butter. This lets me control how much salt to add. The butter is going to be melted, so it doesn’t need to be room temperature. We use butter in the brownie batter and one tablespoon of the butter in the peanut butter swirl.
- Creamy peanut butter: Use commercial peanut butter such as JIF or Skippy. I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter. Peanut butter fans will also love this peanut butter ripple ice cream and birds nest dessert!
- Semisweet chocolate-Use good quality chocolate baking chocolate bars from the baking aisle. Make sure to also try this pecan brownies recipe and mini chocolate pie recipe!
- Cocoa powder-I used regular natural cocoa powder. Dutch processed cocoa can also be used.
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and their quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use crunchy peanut butter to add some crunch!
- Swap in another nut butter in place of the peanut butter.
- Add some peanut butter chips or chopped peanut butter cups to make these extra peanut buttery!
Instructions
Here are directions on how to make brownies with fudgy peanut butter brownies.
Step 1: Melt seven tablespoons of the butter and the chopped semisweet chocolate together in a bowl in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Whisk together the eggs and sugars for about a minute or until mixture becomes pale and creamy. Whisk in the vanilla, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and the chocolate and butter mixture.
Step 3: Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined then pour into the prepared pan.
Step 4: In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the peanut butter, one tablespoon of melted butter and the powdered sugar.
Step 5: Spoon the peanut butter mixture over the brownie batter. You can also spoon the peanut butter mixture into a sandwich bag. Snip a corner off and pipe it overtop.
Step 6: Use a toothpick of tip of a butter knife to lightly swirl the peanut butter into the batter. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 23-28 minutes.
Hint: Bake until until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs when inserted in the middle of the brownies. Do not wait until it comes out with no crumbs.
Expert Baking Tips
- Line pan with parchment paper. Line the pan with parchment paper and leave an overhang of paper on two sides. Parchment paper will keep the brownies from sticking to the pan. It will also make it easy for you to lift the brownies out of the pan.
- Allow brownies to cool. It’s best to let these homemade peanut butter brownies cool for an hour or two. Cool them at room temperature or in the fridge. Cooled brownies they’ll hold together better when you cut them. You’ll have less of them all stuck to the knife. The flavor develops even more while they cool.
- Use a long knife to cut your brownies. If you have a long knife, you can cut straight down through the brownies instead of dragging the knife. Cut with as little motion as possible. Avoid using a sawing motion.
- Spray knife with a little cooking spray, wipe it with a damp cloth, or stick it under warm water in between cutting sections. This will limit how much the brownies stick to the knife.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Wrap leftover brownies tightly with plastic wrap and/or place them in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Warm brownies are so delicious, but it’s best to cut brownies when they have cooled completely. You can place the brownies in the refrigerator to help them cool faster.
Brownies with more butter and more melted chocolate are more fudgy. Also, taking brownies out of the oven before a toothpick comes out completely clean gives you fudgy brownies.
Storing and Freezing
These gooey peanut butter brownies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freeze these pb brownies in plastic wrap or an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
More Recipes You Will Love
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter divided
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter room temperature, divided
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup Dutch process or natural cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- With the oven rack in the middle position, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8 inch square pan with enough parchment paper to create an overhang of at least two inches on two sides.
- Melt seven tablespoons of the butter (reserve 1 tablespoon of the stick for the pb-powdered sugar mixture) and the chopped semisweet chocolate together in a bowl in the microwave. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the peanut butter, one tablespoon of melted butter and the powdered sugar. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, briskly whisk together the eggs and sugars for about a minute or until mixture becomes pale and creamy. Whisk in the vanilla, followed by the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and the reserved butter/melted chocolate mixture. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined then spread batter into the prepared pan.
- Spoon the peanut butter-powdered sugar mixture into a plastic sandwich bag. Snip a corner with scissors and pipe the peanut butter mixture in swirls on top of the batter. Next, use a toothpick or the tip of a knife to make more swirls with the peanut butter mixture. Do just a few swirls in each section as you make your way across the mixture. Be careful not to over-swirl or you won't get that cool marbled look on top.
- Bake 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs when inserted in the middle of the brownies. Do not wait until it comes out with no crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for at least 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Bobby Altidore
Such an amazing balance of chocolate and peanut butter.
For anyone wondering what to have it with. The answer is Coffee!
Theresa
I made these this evening. Great recipe.
Slightly confused though, the instructions call for reserved tahini. Not sure I understand that instruction.
Natalie
Hi Theresa, Thanks for your comment. I’m so happy you enjoyed these peanut butter brownies! I apologize for the confusion. I made this recipe based on my tahini brownies recipe and must have missed changing tahini to peanut butter in the instructions. I will change that right now. I can see how that would be confusing so I appreciate your pointing that out! Have a great rest of your day 🙂 Natalie