Chocolate and peanut butter are made for each other. This recipe tugs at the nostalgia of those childhood brownie mixes—but ours is completely new from scratch.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Chocolate and peanut butter are definitely contenders for best dessert duo. Personally, my love of pairing has a lot to do with the irresistible combination of sweet and salty.
No more box mix!
The base of this recipe is of course the brownie. I grew up with box mixes as a kid and loved them (especially the corner piece), but it took me some time to come up with a homemade version that I liked.
A lot of the recipes I’ve tried have tended towards gooey and fiddly brownies. For me, on the other hand, it’s all about the chewy and dense (in a good way) brownies.
The secret is a double dose of chocolate
This recipe uses both cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate for a double dose of decadence. A bit of brown sugar in addition to white sugar helps give the chew I’ve been looking for, and some instant coffee powder makes the chocolate flavor even more pronounced.
This is the grown up version of the wrapped brownies I loved so much as a kid.
A water bath to melt the chocolate
The following instructions call for using a double boiler to melt the chocolate and butter. This simply means melting the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of a few inches of simmering water, which will gently melt the chocolate and avoid scorching.
However, you can also use the microwave (or even a saucepan directly on the stove) as long as you are careful not to burn the chocolate.
About this vortex….
When it comes time to toss in the peanut butter, heating it will help fluff it up and allow you to drizzle it over the batter. (I only used commercial store brands with sugar; it may work differently for non-sugar varieties or that require you to stir the oils together.)
Then, using a butter knife, toss the peanut butter into the batter. Use both the knife’s thin blade and flat edge to create an artful blend of thin swirls and large whooshes of chocolate and peanut butter.
Try this! Tahini swirl brownies
If you love peanut butter, try tahini! Tahini is a paste or sauce made from ground sesame seeds that is used in many Middle Eastern recipes. Like peanut butter, tahini has a nuttiness that pairs well with chocolate. Try it in place of the peanut butter in these brownies—it makes your brownies allergy-friendly, too!
More brownie recipes to try
- Juicy chocolate brownies
- Speculaas Brownie Cake
- Guinness Chocolate Brownies
- Best Chocolate Brownies
- Gluten Free Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
ingredients
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6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
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8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter
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2 big eggs
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1/2 Cup granulated sugar
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1/2 Cup dark brown sugar
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1 tablespoon Instant espresso coffee powder
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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2/3 Cup all purpose flour
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2/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
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1/4 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 Cup smooth peanut butter
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2 tablespoon powdered sugar
method
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Preheat Oven to 350˚F:
Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper; put aside.
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Melting chocolate and butter:
Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water – the bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Remove from stove.
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Make the dough:
Whisk together the eggs, sugar, coffee powder and vanilla extract. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and the melted butter and chocolate mixture and mix until evenly combined. (The batter will be very thick, but don’t worry! That’s the way it’s supposed to be.)
Press the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan in an even layer.
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Add the peanut butter swirl:
Microwave the peanut butter until fluffy enough to drizzle, about 30 seconds on high. Stir the powdered sugar into the peanut butter, then drizzle over the brownie batter.
Use a butter knife to swirl the peanut butter mixture on top of the brownie batter. Be careful not to overmix the peanut butter into the brownie mixture.
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Bake brownies:
Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, about 35 minutes. (The peanut butter will likely stick to the toothpick a little; that’s okay.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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Cool and slice:
Allow the brownies to cool completely to room temperature before slicing. For cleaner cutting with fewer crumbs, once the pan has cooled to room temperature, place the pan in the freezer for a few minutes to make cutting easier and prevent them from sticking to the knife.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 241 | calories |
| 14g | Fat |
| 28g | carbohydrates |
| 4g | protein |
