These fudgy, moist chocolate peanut butter brownies are stuffed with a thick layer of creamy peanut butter in every bite!
The combination of sweet chocolate and nutty peanut butter creates a harmonious balance that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Whether enjoyed as an indulgent dessert or paired with a large glass of milk for an afternoon snack, these brownies are a crowd-pleasing favorite for all lovers of chocolate and peanut butter.
For more brownie recipes, check out our small batch brownies, sprinkle brownies, dairy free brownies, oreo brownies, biscoff brownies, and our dulce de leche brownies.
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Why this recipe works
- Flavor- these brownies have the most delicious flavor combination of peanut butter and chocolate! You get plenty of peanut butter flavor and rich chocolate flavor in every bite.
- Texture- these brownies are super fudgy and gooey in the middle with a perfect crackly top.
- Ease- even though these look impressive, they are actually really easy to make and use simple ingredients!
- Versatile- these are versatile and can be made with any nut butter of your choice! They can be made gluten free and dairy free!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious brownies.
Dutch cocoa powder– we like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our brownies because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Dark chocolate- use the best quality dark chocolate for the best flavor.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, the most common sugar in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Eggs– To give the brownies a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs. I added an extra egg yolk for extra fudginess.
Vanilla extract– Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for brownies.
Salt– We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the brownies a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Peanut butter- any peanut butter kind will work for this recipe, natural, processed, chunky, or smooth. The results will be different for each peanut butter kind. We prefer to use smooth store-bought peanut butter like skippy or Jiff.
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar to sprinkle over the pastry. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a parchment paper-lined 9 by 9 baking pan.
Into a medium mixing bowl, add the peanut butter and powdered sugar (I highly recommend sifting the powdered sugar), and mix until well combined.
In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and the dark chocolate. Melt completely in the microwave or on a bain Marie. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely.
Add the eggs, egg yolk, granulated sugar, cocoa powder (sift!) kosher salt, and vanilla extract, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
Add the flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix to keep the brownies fudgy.
Pour half of the brownie butter into the lined baking pan, and smooth it out with a spatula.
Carefully top the brownie batter with the peanut butter mixture and spread it with your clean hands. (Grab chunks of the peanut butter mixture, flatten them out, and layer)
Top with the rest of the brownie batter and carefully smooth it out with a spatula.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Do not overbake it to keep it fudgy!
Let the brownies cool for 1 hour before slicing, so they won't crumble and fall apart. Serve and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these brownies as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these brownies cool for at least 20 minutes so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up. These brownies are extra moist and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, so it will be worth it to wait these 20 minutes.
- Don’t overbake your brownies! To have super moist brownies, we like to underbake the brownies a little bit.
- Ensure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.
Faq's
We like to use Dutch prosses cocoa powder because it gives the cake a deeper rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work! It’s just a personal preference.
It can be pretty hard to know when your brownies are done baking, but we have a few tricks to figure that out.
If the brownies have a shiny and crinkly top, they should be ready. When you insert a toothpick into the brownies and the toothpick is covered with wet batter, let it bake for a few more minutes and check again to get the perfect brownie.
This may mean that you overbaked your brownies. I always underbake the brownies by a little bit, because the brownies keep cooking in the cooling process.
I used creamy peanut butter which is not natural. The natural kind is runny and will be hard to achieve the thick layer of filling in the middle of the brownies.
You can use the crunchy peanut butter as well instead of the creamy one. Use brands like jiff or skippy for the best result.
Storing
Store these chocolate peanut butter brownies at room temperature sealed in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing
To freeze brownies, you will need to wrap the brownies in plastic wrap or foil and seal them in an airtight container or in an airtight resealable bag. You can freeze brownies for up to 2 months.
Substitutions
Dairy-free- to make this dairy-free, replace the butter with vegan butter, and make sure that you are using dairy-free dark chocolate.
Gluten-free- make these brownies gluten-free by swapping the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Chocolate- add chocolate chunks to the brownie batter for melty pockets of chocolate. You can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate!
Nuts- add chopped nuts to the brownie batter for a delicious crunch.
Peanut butter swirl- melt peanut butter and top the brownies with dollops of peanut butter, and swirl it with a toothpick for a beautiful look.
Nut butter- if you are allergic to peanut butter but still want to make this recipe, use your favorite nut butter instead like almond butter, cashew butter, etc.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- Brownie pan
More peanut butter recipes
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies- These 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies are the easiest peanut butter cookies, they are crunchy and full of peanut butter flavor, and come together in 20 minutes!
Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies- These chewy peanut butter cookies are made with creamy peanut butter, extra chewy middle, and lots of peanut butter flavor.
Peanut Butter Balls With Rice Krispies- These no bake peanut butter balls with rice Krispies are crunchy and delicious and are super easy to make. They will turn into your favorite candy to make!
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📖 Recipe
Gooey Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients
Peanut butter filling
- 1 ⅓ cups Peanut butter
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
Brownie batter
- 5.30 oz Butter unsalted
- 7 oz Dark chocolate
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg yolks
- ⅔ cup Flour
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a parchment paper-lined 9 by 9 baking pan.
- Into a medium mixing bowl, add the peanut butter and powdered sugar (I highly recommend sifting the powdered sugar), and mix until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and the dark chocolate. Melt completely in the microwave or on a bain Marie. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely.
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, granulated sugar, cocoa powder (sift!) kosher salt, and vanilla extract, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix to keep the brownies fudgy.
- Pour half of the brownie butter into the lined baking pan, and smooth it out with a spatula.
- Carefully top the brownie batter with the peanut butter mixture and spread it with your clean hands. (Grab chunks of the peanut butter mixture, flatten them out, and layer)
- Top with the rest of the brownie batter and carefully smooth it out with a spatula.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Do not overbake it to keep it fudgy!
- Let the brownies cool for 1 hour before slicing, so they won't crumble and fall apart. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these brownies as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these brownies cool for at least 20 minutes so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up. These brownies are extra moist and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, so it will be worth it to wait these 20 minutes.
- Don’t overbake your brownies! To have super moist brownies, we like to underbake the brownies a little bit.
- Ensure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.
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