The BEST Peanut Butter Brownies! Fudgy brownies filled with peanut butter cups, topped with a peanut butter swirl. RECIPE VIDEO below!
Anyone else need a pan of Peanut Butter Brownies to make it through the week?
This here is what dreams are made of. Do you see that peanut butter swirl? Those chunks of peanut butter cups? That fudgy goodness?
So much to love.
If you’ve been around for a while you know that there is no shortage of brownie recipes on this site. Classic Fudgy Brownies, Coconut Brownies, German Chocolate Brownies, Mug Brownie, Strawberry Brownies, Almond Sea Salt Brownies, Brownie Cookies... and the truth is I’m not stopping anytime soon. If loving brownies is wrong, this girl does not want to be right.
Peanut Butter Brownies
Here’s how we make this recipe:
We whip up a super easy homemade brownie batter, then stir in chopped peanut butter cups. The brownie batter gets poured into a pan, then we generously dollop and swirl peanut butter all over the top of the batter.
Put the pan into the oven and then, (sigh) wait the longest 30 minutes of your life while they bake. Tick tock, tick tock.
After baking, you can let the brownies cool like a normal human (this is recommended), or you can throw caution to the wind and burn your mouth and fingertips diving into a piping hot freshly baked Peanut Butter Brownie. You know what I did. 😉 #totallyworthit
Tips for Making Brownies:
- Line the pan with foil for easy removal. Once the brownies have cooled, you can lift the whole batch right out of the pan using the foil. It makes for super easy cutting.
- Add some chocolate chips into the batter. This guarantees you melty-fudgy bites every time!
- Do not overbake them. I can’t stress this enough! If you insert a toothpick into the center it should have moist fudgy crumbs on it, but no batter. As soon as that happens, pull them out. Since all ovens bake differently, set your timer for earlier than the recipe calls for and keep checking them until they’re done.
Check out my step by step video to see how easy this recipe is. If you love chocolate and peanut butter, this one is for YOU! Enjoy every bite!
More PEANUT BUTTER Recipes:
Peanut Butter Brownies Trifles – Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie – Peanut Butter Cup Magic Cookie Bars – Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes –Peanut Butter Bars
Note: This recipe originally appeared in 2015. I have updated the photos and added a video, but the recipe remains the same.
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Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt** see note
- 1 cup all purpose flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee optional
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2/3 cup chopped peanut butter cups
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter not natural**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9 pan with foil, leaving a couple inches of overhang on two sides (this will allow you to lift the whole tray of brownies out of the pan for easy removal). Butter or spray it.
- In a large bowl combine cocoa powder, sugars, salt, flour, espresso powder, and chocolate chips. Whisk until combined. Add eggs, oil, and water and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined. Fold in peanut butter cups (the batter will be thick).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Drop dollops of peanut butter on the top of the brownies, and use a knife to swirl it around.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. The brownies are done when the top is dry and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without raw batter on it (there may be some fudgy crumbs on the toothpick - that's OK). Be careful not to over bake. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely.
JUDIE says
How would these turn out in a 13×9 pan? I don’t have a 9×9 I do have 8×8. Thanks
Celebrating Sweets says
You should be able to make them in an 8×8. They will be a bit thicker, so they will take a little longer to bake. Just watch them closely so that they’re not overdone. Enjoy!
Kim says
I have made these twice to rave reviews. However, the next time I make them I am definitely going to use a 13×9. I have a new stove and getting these cooked in the center gives me a brownie that is overcooked at the edges.
Celebrating Sweets says
Thanks for sharing your experience. Enjoy! 🙂
AC says
Why does recipe say peanut butter “not natural”? I have jiffy natural pb. Does that work? Well, trying it now anyway!
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi! Yes, the Jif “natural” will work . I meant the kind of natural peanut butter that is only ground peanuts and has a layer of oil at the top (it could separate in the brownies), and that type of peanut butter is not good for baking. Hope you enjoyed them!
Eira Jimenez says
I made this recipe but it didn’t come out good at all. I followed every single step and at the end after it cooled down it was all hard from everwhere. I was really looking forward to these brownies especially because they had great reviews but it was a let down.
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m sorry to hear that. If they were hard they were likely overbaked. Did you use the pan size recommended? Were your ingredients fresh?
Jennifer says
If you make them again and they come out hard, put them in a container and drop a piece of bread in the container and they’ll be fine
Mimi Dang says
Is the 3/4 tsp salt supposed to be in there? It’s not in the video. The brownies definitely came out salty.
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Mimi. Yes, the salt should definitely be there (it was added in with the flour in the video). Since there are nearly 2 cups of sugar, the salt balances the flavors. If your peanut butter was salted, that could contribute to the saltiness, especially since it is swirled into the batter.
Thanks for sharing your feedback.
Zara says
Can I use butter instead of the half cup vegetable oil? If so, how much butter should I use?
Celebrating Sweets says
You can swap melted butter for the same amount of oil. The brownies might be a touch less moist, but should should taste just fine.
Marie says
My family LOVED these brownies! I did add an extra egg (because they were a little smaller from our own chickens) and did a little less chocolate chips and added 1/3 cups peanut butter chips. I baked it in my brownie pan- which is about a 6×10, and they came out thick and the perfect, soft, almost cake-like texture (probably from the extra egg). If your brownies didn’t turn out, it’s because you messed something up somewhere along the way- this recipe is perfect! Oh, I also used gluten-free flour mix, so you know that’s an option for those who need it!
Celebrating Sweets says
Thanks for the kind review. I’m so happy that you enjoyed them 🙂
Jonathan says
If I were to double the recipe in a 13x 9 pan should I bake longer? Thanks
Celebrating Sweets says
Yes, you’ll likely need to increase the bake time a bit. I would add 5 minutes, then check it every additional 5 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without raw batter on it. It is ok if there are fudgy crumbs on it. Be careful not to overbake.
Sian says
Hi
I’d really like to try this recipe out but not sure how to convert the cup measurements into grams etc. Is there anywhere that I can find this easily so I can give this a go?
Celebrating Sweets says
You can try this: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cup-to-gram-conversions/
Gifty says
Don’t have peanut butter cups can I make them without it?
Celebrating Sweets says
Sure! Enjoy!
Mesha Pesha says
I made this recipe and loved it! I did however make a few revisions due to lack the of ingredients in my kitchen. I didn’t have peanut butter cups so I made it without it which was totally fine. Also, I didn’t have vegetable oil so I substituted with melted butter. Additionally, I used an 8×8 baking dish that was perfect! Definitely will make these brownies again! They tasted gourmet….like something you would get from a bakery. The only think I question, why the powdered sugar? I watched a video of a similar recipe where they added powdered sugar to the peanut butter along with a little butter before adding the scoops to the brownie batter. It appears to make the peanut more creamier and easier to spread so I may try that method next time around. Using a cookie dough scooper, I added 4 scoops of peanut butter. Prior to that, I added a few extra chocolate pieces.
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! The powdered sugar helps with the texture and chewiness of the brownies. You can add some to the peanut butter next time, too. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂