These Peanut Butter Brownies are made with swirls of fudgy chocolate brownie and soft, chewy, peanut butter blondies. Make sure to load them up with plenty of chocolate peanut butter candy pieces!
Peanut butter fans who enjoyed my fudgy, easy brownie recipe are going to love this one !
Peanut Butter Brownies
Officially in the third trimester this week and I am hungry all. the. time.
I mean, I’ve always been up for eating, and my sweet tooth has always been pretty demanding, but things are getting a little out of control here. I made two pans of these peanut butter brownies last week and am embarrassed to tell you how much I devoured on my own. It’s not safe to keep sweets in the house anymore, especially not peanut butter and chocolate ones like these peanut butter brownies (also not safe: this Buckeye recipe!).
These peanut butter brownies were originally shared on the blog a few years ago but desperately needed a photo refresh.
They’re a peanut butter & chocolate lover’s dream, chewy and chocolatey, fudgy brownies rippled with creamy peanut butter blondies, packed with mini chocolate chips and Reese’s Pieces. They pretty much melt in your mouth and oh my goodness I’m almost drooling here.
How to Make Peanut Butter Brownies
- Make your brownie batter first. This can all be made in a single bowl, and letting the batter sit while you prepare your peanut butter layer helps encourage shiny, crackly brownie tops (which we all love).
- Prepare your peanut butter layer! I recommend using an electric mixer as you’ll need to cream together the butter and sugar. This batter gets a bit stiff until you add the milk (at the very end), but don’t worry, everything will come together.
- Dollop away! Peanut butter, chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate. Alternate dropping spoonfuls of brownie batter and peanut butter batter into a 13×9 pan. It’ll start out looking like a patchwork quilt, then use your knife to swirl everything together. You want to have some peanut butter and some chocolate in every bite.
All in all you will need three bowls total to make these peanut butter brownies, but the dishes are worth it.
Ok, I think that’s all for today because if I write another word about peanut butter brownies I’m going to find myself up to my elbows in batter in a few minutes and then regretfully googling the effects of excessive peanut butter and chocolate consumption on unborn children.
Enjoy (and Happy Labor Day!)!
More Peanut Butter & Chocolate Recipes You Might Like:
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Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients
BROWNIE BATTER
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces (170g)
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (90g)
- ½ cup natural cocoa powder (50g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed (200g)
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips (85g)
PEANUT BUTTER BATTER
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (140g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed (100g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour (167g)
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- ⅔ cup Reeses pieces optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a 9x13 glass baking dish¹ by spraying with baking spray. Prepare Brownie batter first:
BROWNIE BATTER
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips. Heat in 20-second increments (stirring well in betweeuntil chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth.
- Add cocoa powder and sugars and stir well.
- Stir in eggs, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Add flour and stir well. Stir in mini chocolate chips, if using. Set aside while you prepare peanut butter blondie batter.
Peanut Butter Blondies
- Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy and well-combined.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and stir well.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and stir until well. Add milk and stir until ingredients are completely combined.
- Use a spoon or spatula to stir in Reese’s pieces candy pieces, if using.
- Alternate dropping heaping spoonfuls of brownie batter and peanut butter blondie batter into your prepared pan. Use a knife to swirl and make sure the batter is evenly distributed. Top with additional candy pieces, if desired.
- Transfer to 350F (175C) and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
- Allow brownies to cool in pan before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This peanut butter brownie recipe was originally published on the blog 07/29/2016. Photos and recipe updated and a video has been added 09/02/2019. See original photo below.
Lori
So delicious!! I made these for my adult son’s birthday and the whole family loved them. For me personally they were a perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I used some peanut butter baking chips in the peanut butter batter in place of Reese’s pieces. Definitely a keeper recipe!! 5 stars
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lori! 🙂
Jodi
Can i use brownie mix for the brownie part to cut corners?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We suppose you could, but we can’t guarantee how it will turn out or if any changes would need to be made.
Lynne
My family & I couldn’t stop eating these peanut butter brownies! While it takes slightly more time to make the two different batters, all the steps are easy to follow and it’s worth the delicious & fancier looking dessert.
If you want these brownies to look amazing in addition to tasting amazing, I’ve found that holding the knife at a more horizontal angle when swirling to kind of pull the batters to be on top of each other in addition to next to each other makes the top of them look neater while still mixing the elements together enough. The first time I made these, I swirled them a bit too much & they looked mostly brown on top, but when I used this method the second time it helped make the two batters stand out on top while being mixed together enough underneath.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy they were a hit for your crew, Lynne! Thanks for the review! 🙂
Paige Larson
Another great and easy explained recipe!