If you can't get enough chocolate and peanut butter recipes, here's another one for your collection. These Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies are awesome! They're similar to Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies, yet a little simpler because they don't have the ganache. They also stack nicely and are easy to wrap, which is handy if you plan on making these for bake sales or giving as gifts.
Texture and Flavor -- Lots of Peanut Butter
The brownies are dense and fudge-like, and in my opinion are very pretty because the topping sinks into the batter and forms a swirl -- or at least in some of the pieces. In some pieces the peanut butter mixture stayed closer to the top.
Unbaked Peanut Butter Brownie Batter
Here's what the brownies looked like before going in the oven.
And here they are after. They didn't take very long to cool, but I admit I sped things up by throwing them in the refrigerator because I couldn't wait to cut in and see the swirl!
Serving Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
For this batch I used Hershey's semisweet chips, Jif creamy style peanut butter and natural style (as opposed to Dutch processed) cocoa powder. The brownies are very rich. If you are wrapping them in cellophane and selling them at a bake sale or giving them as gifts, you'll probably want to cut 9. However, if you're putting them on a tray and serving them along with other things, you could cut into 18 or even 36 pieces. A little bit goes a long way here.
Recipe
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Base
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus a small handful (170 grams) plus more
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks (114 grams)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (250 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 130 grams
Peanut Butter Swirl
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (42 grams)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter 128 grams
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt I omitted this
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line an 8-inch metal baking pan with nonstick foil..
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate and butter on high for 30 seconds. Stir and heat again for another 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until melted. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth; set aside to cool.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla until combined.
- Whisk melted chocolate mixture into egg mixture, then add flour and stir just until mixed.
- Pour almost all of the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan, holding back about ⅓ cup (just eyeball it -- doesn't need to be exact).
- For peanut butter swirl, combine melted butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, salt (if using, I left it out) and vanilla in a bowl and stir until smooth.
- Sprinkle your reserved handful of chocolate chips over the batter, then drop peanut butter mixture over batter and gently spread to cover most of the top. Drop reserved ⅓ cup or so of chocolate batter in small dollops over peanut butter batter and drag a knife gently through for a marbled look.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean, about 38-45 minutes (Internal temperature should top out at 212). Let cool on a wire rack. When cool, lift from pan by grasping foil. If desired, chill brownies before cutting, but serve at room temperature.
karenb says
Anna, I made these Brownies Yesterday and initially thought the chocolate taste was very bland but, after I refrigerated them overnight they were fabulous!!! I must have slightly underbaked them because when they were cold from the refrigerator, they were very dense and looked and tasted like fudge!
I would Highly Recommend baking these 2-3 minutes less than suggested and serving them cold for the BEST flavor!
Thanks for sharing another GREAT recipe!!!
RunnerGirl says
Can you send me a link to the modified Stella Parks ones, please?!
Anna says
I just sent you a link along with Bev's modifications. Let us know if you try it!
phyllis says
How can I find the Stella Parks brownie recipe that Beverly mentioned? thank you
Anna says
Bev, I still need to try your recipe! Thanks for reminding me. Sonya, thanks!
Sonya says
These ARE very pretty, and the peanut butter swirl looks amazing!!!
Beverly says
Anna, These look delish, but the Stella Parks Brownie you recreated using Almond Butter are my very favorite, AND the best thing I ever baked, according to my husband! PLUS they are gluten free:-)
I have meant to tell you that I even adapted your recipe using peanut butter and chopped peanuts, which were also very good for those Chocolate_Peanut butter cravings!