Peanut Butter Brownies

Chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven. In this Peanut Butter Brownies recipe they come together to make magic. There’s something about the combination of the complex, divine taste of chocolate and the creamy, rich flavor of peanut butter that really satisfies those sweet tooth cravings. I like this recipe because it only calls for cocoa powder, something I always have on hand, rather than requiring me to melt baking chocolate.

Brownies are among my favorite home baked goods. It’s hard to beat a warm, gooey, chocolatey brownie topped with a scoop of ice cream. I prefer my brownies to be more gooey than cakey and this recipe is a very good balance of my preferred texture. Brownie texture tends to come down to the amount of flour used, and I find one cup is perfect for the consistency I want. The brownies are easy to slice and don’t fall apart when you pick them up, but still have that moist texture I adore.

Some people prefer a more cake-like brownie, however, so I’ve included some suggestions in the notes for how you could achieve that with this recipe. I think an extra 1/4 or 1/2 cup of flour would probably produce a more cakey, lighter crumb. I think an extra egg would also help lighten up the bake a bit to help achieve that. A little extra baking powder would also probably help give these brownies a more cake-like feel, probably an extra 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder would do the trick.

When I whip up a batch of brownies, it’s usually because I want to satisfy my chocolate cravings without having to spend a lot of time baking and frosting a cake, or baking several batches of cookies. Just because I think of brownies as a quick, no fuss dessert, I never frost my brownies. These brownies would be easy to frost however. I think a basic peanut butter frosting would probably be amazing on these.

Peanut Butter Brownies

3 from 145 votes

Recipe by Add Recipes Course: Dessert

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

24

minutes

Creamy peanut butter elevates these delicious, chocolatey brownies into a treat your family will request over and over.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups 1 3/4 Sugar (granulated white sugar)

• 1 cup 1 All-purpose flour

• 3 3 Eggs, large

• 3/4 cup 3/4 Butter, melted

• 1/2 cup 1/2 Cocoa powder

• 1/2 cup 1/2 Peanut butter (creamy)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons 1 1/2 Vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 Salt

• 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 Baking powder

Directions

• Grease and flour 9×13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
• In mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-low to medium speed for one minute.
• Add eggs and salt, beat briefly.
• Add cocoa powder, beat briefly to ensure cocoa is thoroughly combined.
• Add baking powder and flour, incorporating flour 1/2 cup at a time. Stir until just combined.
• Spread batter in prepared 9×13 baking dish. Bake in preheated oven 24-30 minutes or until desired doneness. Allow brownies to set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Notes

• This recipe calls for creamy peanut butter. Chunky peanut butter may yield different results.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder is preferred for maximum chocolate flavor, but can be substituted with other cocoa powder if desired according to your chocolate preferences.
• Recipe calls for real butter, not margarine.
• For a more cake-like brownie, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour. And consider adding an extra egg.
• Other nut butters like almond or cashew butter can be substituted for peanut butter. Consistency and taste of finished product will change.

I love to use the same old grocery store brand of creamy peanut butter that my mom put on my sandwiches as a kid. The flavor and texture work perfectly for me. I do not recommend crunchy peanut butter for this recipe as it may produce a brownie that’s less moist. If you’d really like to have some crunch, I would suggest using creamy peanut butter but then maybe sprinkling some crushed peanuts on top of the batter after you spread it out in the baking dish.

Other nut butters could be used in place of peanut butter, whether to accommodate an allergy or simply for matters of taste. I think almond or cashew butter would probably work as substitutes in this recipe, although they may change the consistency.