Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies are a simple but delicious homemade dessert. Rich and fudgy brownies are swirled with dollops of creamy peanut butter for a classic flavor pairing that your whole family will love.
These decadent brownies are perfect on their own, with a soft and chewy homemade brownie base with a perfect blend of sweet chocolate and slightly salty peanut butter.
Peanut butter lovers can top their brownies with drizzled melted peanut butter and salted peanuts for a truly indulgent experience. More of a chocolate person? Try a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce to find your dessert nirvana!
These delicious brownies will remind you of my Reeses’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie. Like my Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes and Homemade Copycat Kit Kat Bars, these heavenly bites are full of your favorite nostalgic flavors but elevated to make them even more addictive.
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Reasons to love this recipe:
- Homemade fudgy chocolate brownies and creamy, salty peanut butter are a match made in heaven. The chocolate peanut butter lovers in your life will have a new favorite recipe.
- Every home baker needs an easy brownie recipe in their repertoire. This recipe uses simple ingredients and equipment (and like my recipe for German Chocolate Brownies, it doesn’t even need a mixer!) for perfect fudgy homemade brownies.
- This is a great recipe for parties and gatherings when you need to bring a dessert. They travel easily in a covered baking dish and have a classic crowd-pleasing flavor.
Ingredient notes and substitutions:
- Unsalted butter: Adds rich flavor and moisture to the brownie batter.
- Granulated sugar: White sugar is typically used in brownie recipes instead of brown sugar. White sugar keeps the brownies from being too dense and gives them that nice crinkly crust.
- Eggs: You will need two large eggs and one additional egg yolk for this recipe. I separate egg yolks and whites by tipping the yolks back and forth between the broken egg shells and letting the whites fall off into a dish. But there are lots of easy techniques you could use.
- Vanilla extract: It may seem strange to put vanilla in this recipe, but trust me! Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor without making them taste like vanilla.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Use high-quality natural cocoa powder. This is what gives this recipe its delicious chocolate flavor, so quality is important. Hershey’s and Ghiradelli’s brands both work well.
- All-purpose flour: Forms the base of this recipe.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is important in baked goods to balance the flavor and keep them from being bland. This amount of salt will not make your brownies taste salty.
- Baking powder: The leavener that helps the batter rise.
- Instant coffee powder: Coffee powder is optional but recommended. ingredient. It intensifies the chocolate flavor and makes the bars extra rich and delicious.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips: For extra ooey gooey brownies!
- Smooth peanut butter: Make sure you stir it well before adding it to the brownies so that any oil that has separated is fully incorporated. You want it to look nice and smooth when added to the brownies. This is especially important if you are using natural, which will often have a thin layer of oil on top.
- Optional: melted peanut butter or chocolate sauce for drizzling and ice cream for serving.
Complete measurements are in the recipe below
How to make chocolate peanut butter brownies:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a square 8×8 inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy.
- Whisk in the eggs and additional egg yolk one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and instant coffee powder.
- Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer. Dollop small spoonfuls of peanut butter on top of the brownie batter and use a knife to create swirls.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs. The center should be set but still slightly gooey.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely in the baking dish on a wire rack. Once cooled, lift out using the parchment paper overhang and cut into squares.
- Serve warm or at room temperature:
Serving suggestions:
These brownies are delicious as they are, but if you want to kick them up a notch, try serving them with a scoop of my Pecan Pralines Ice Cream, Rocky Road, or Bourbon Ice Cream.
Recipe variations:
Feel free to get creative!
- For extra peanut butter flavor, add some peanut butter chips to the brownie batter with the chocolate chips.
- Swap the chocolate chips for chunks of dark chocolate for a very rich and gooey brownie.
- After adding the peanut butter, swirl into the brownie batter and scatter some chopped peanut butter cups on the bars.
How to store leftovers:
Allow the brownies to cool completely to room temperature before storing. Store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 3-4 days. Separate layers with parchment paper if you must stack them. They can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
For longer storage, wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn, and place them carefully in a freezer container or bag. They will keep for three months in the freezer.
Recipe FAQs:
For baking brownies, I recommend a light-colored metal pan. Metal baking pans conduct heat better than glass or ceramic, so they will cook more quickly and will rise better, making them lighter and less dense.
Dark metal pans can be too hot and burn the edges before the center is set. A light metal baking pan will yield rich and chewy brownies that don’t get tough.
This recipe calls for an 8×8 square baking pan, which results in thick fudgy brownies. You could also us a 9×9 square pan for slightly thinner brownies.
When making homemade brownies, you want to use high-quality, regular unsweetened cocoa powder. There are two types of cocoa powder: dutch-process cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder. The most common cocoa powder you usually see in the US is natural cocoa powder, and that’s what I recommend for this recipe.
Good brands include Hershey’s or Ghirardelli. To learn all about the differences between the types of cocoa powder and how they react in baked goods, check out this great article!
I have not used chunky peanut butter in this recipe, but I think it would work great. Just make sure you stir it well before adding it to the batter so that any oil that has separated will be fully incorporated.
You could also fold some chopped peanuts into the brownie batter if you love that extra crunch!
Absolutely! Use your favorite box mix as the base to make this quick dessert even easier. Prepare the brownie mix according to the package instructions.
Then, fold in the chocolate chips called for in this recipe to make them extra rich and chocolatey. Finally, swirl in the peanut butter and bake according to the directions on the box.
Expert tips and tricks:
- Feel free to use a 9×9 baking pan and reduce the baking time to 25-30 minutes for thinner brownies.
- Be sure to whisk your butter and sugar together very well to ensure a smooth fudgy brownie instead of a grainy one.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies, and wipe off the blade between cuts. This will keep the knife clean and help it slice the bars without breaking them.
- Don’t skip the step of lining your pan with parchment paper to ensure easy removal of the bars.
- Gently swirl the peanut butter so it doesn’t sink to the bottom of the pan.
More delicious dessert bar recipes:
Looking for the perfect dessert for your next party? This delicious chocolate peanut butter brownie recipe is just one of our favorites. Check out more amazing recipes:
If you like these recipes, I know you will also love my Peanut Butter and Chocolate Rice Krispie Bars. For other fantastic dessert recipes, see our entire collection of simple desserts.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies Recipe (From Scratch)
Equipment
- 8×8 inch light-colored metal baking pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, plus one egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder, optional
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- optional – melted peanut butter or chocolate sauce for drizzling and ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a square 8×8 inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy.
- Whisk in the eggs and additional egg yolk one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and instant coffee powder.
- Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer. Dollop small spoonfuls of peanut butter on top of the brownie batter and use a knife to create swirls.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs. The center should be set but still slightly gooey.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely in the baking dish on a wire rack. Once cooled, lift out using the parchment paper overhang and cut into squares.
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