With a layer of peanut butter on the bottom and another layer of chocolate on the top, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies are gonna rock your world! They're the perfect rich & fudgy dessert.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Brownies might be one of my favorite desserts of all times. From mini brownie bites to turtle brownies to brownie mix cookies, brownies come in all sorts of deliciousness.
The the peanut butter chocolate combination? As any Snickers or Reece's lover with tell you, it's a match made in heaven!
Ingredients
The list looks a little longer in the recipe card below, but it's actually quite simple!
- creamy peanut butter - no fancy peanut butter required, just the creamy stuff.
- butter
- sugars - we are using plain old granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- dry ingredients - we'll use all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- cocoa powder - this is the unsweetened variety. Use your leftover cocoa powder to whip up some hot chocolate in the Instant Pot!
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Before you start, line an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray and preheat your oven.
- Step 1: In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the peanut butter layer.
The ingredients are broken down by layer in the recipe card.
- Step 2: Mix all the ingredients for the chocolate layer in a large mixing bowl.
- Step 3: Spread peanut butter brownie layer on the bottom of the pan.
- Step 4: Top it with the chocolate brownie layer, spreading the batter for both layers out evenly.
- Step 5: Bake for 22-25 minutes. Brownies will still be soft and gooey, but will finish setting while they cool.
- Step 6: Cut into squares and serve.
Tip
Do not over mix or you're gonna end up with cake like brownies and we are going for pure fudginess. My spell check says that's not a word but I choose to overrule that nonsense.
To freeze brownies for later
Freezing brownies is a great way to have a sweet treat on hand whenever you want. Make sure your brownies are completely cool before freezing. You can cut into individual pieces or freeze the entire pan.
To freeze the entire pan: Wrap the entire pan of brownies tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil.
To freeze individual pieces: Wrap individual brownies in plastic wrap. You can place them all in a single layer inside a freezer-safe bag or airtight container.
To thaw: To thaw, remove the brownies from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for a few hours or overnight.
Either way, these will keep for up to three months.
This method keeps your brownies delicious and ready to enjoy anytime you want a sweet treat!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Layer
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Layers
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium sized bowl, use a large spoon or spatula to combine the ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 1 large egg and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.Mix, then add the ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Combine until just mixed.
- In a separate bowl, combine the chocolate layer ingredients. You'll need ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract. Once just combined, lightly fold in ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder and ⅛ teaspoon salt until just mixed. Do not overmix.
- Scoop the peanut butter layer into the bottom of your pan and spread evenly. Top with the chocolate brownie layer, spreading the batter out evenly on top of the peanut butter layer.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes. Brownies will still be soft and gooey when they come out of the oven, but will firm up further as they cool.
Notes
- All you need are several bowls, an 8x8 baking dish and a large spoon for this recipe.
- Use your leftover cocoa powder to whip up some hot chocolate in the Instant Pot!
- Do not over mix the brownie batter.
To freeze brownies for later
To freeze the entire pan: Wrap the entire pan of brownies tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. To freeze individual pieces: Wrap individual brownies in plastic wrap. You can place them all in a single layer inside a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. To thaw: To thaw, remove the brownies from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for a few hours or overnight. Brownies will keep in the freezer up to 3 months.
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
