Years ago a reader named Stef sent me a batch of her Canarsie Cookies Peanut Butter Brookies, muffin pan baked treats that were half peanut butter cookie and half brownie. Brookies have become very popular since then, with most recipes calling for half chocolate chip cookie and brownies. I wanted to keep building on Stef's peanut butter rendition, but as chocolate and peanut butter bar cookies.
Soft Cookie Dough and Fudgy Brownies
After trying a few different formulas for the peanut butter cookie dough and brownie batter, this was the best combo. The peanut butter dough stays soft and doesn't overbake, and the brownies stay fudgy. The recipe looks long, but that's because there are a lot of duplicate ingredients. It comes together pretty quickly. First, you mix together the peanut butter dough in one bowl. Second, you stir the brownie batter together all in one saucepan.
Peanut Butter Brookies Pan Size
The recipe works well in an 8-inch square pan or 9x13 inch pan. I've put the 9x13 inch version in the recipe card, but I often halve it. Layering the brownie batter and the peanut butter dough is fun. You can put the peanut butter dough on the bottom and drop splotches of brownie batter over the top or you can spread the brownie batter on the bottom and drop splotches of peanut butter cookie dough over it. I tested it both ways and kind of liked the peanut butter dough casually divided between bottom and top.
Recipe
Peanut Butter Brookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter (130 grams)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed (160 grams)
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk (save the white for the brownies)
- ½ tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour (175 grams)
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
Brownie Layer
- ½ cup unsalted butter (114 grams)
- ¼ cup neutral oil like sunflower, grapeseed or vegetable (44 grams)
- 1 ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (325 grams)
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) (70 grams)
- 2 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator
- 1 large egg white, cold (the one you saved from above)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅜ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130 grams)
- ½ cup chocolate chips, or more if you like
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
- With an electric mixer, cream together softened butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Mix in egg, yolk, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add the baking soda and salt and mix by hand or with the mixer until they disappear, then add the flour and mix on low or by hand until blended. Add peanut butter chips if using. Set the dough aside.
- Prepare Brownie Batter: Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add oil and sugar. Return to heat for about 30 seconds to melt the sugar a bit, then remove from heat. Now add the cocoa powder and stir until fully blended. Let cool slightly before adding eggs (about 5 to 7 minutes).
- Crack the cold egg and egg white into a small bowl and mix with a fork, then gradually add them to the warm chocolate mixture, beating with a scraper until smooth and shiny. Add the vanilla.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the chocolate mixture. Beat by hand with a heavy duty scraper until well mixed. The brownie batter should be dark and shiny.
- Spoon about half of the peanut butter cookie dough over the bottom of the pan and press down lightly. You don't have to cover the entire pan bottom.
- Spread the brownie batter in the pan, covering the peanut butter dough. Sprinkle chocolate chips over it.
- Drop spoonfuls of remaining peanut butter dough over the brownie batter, then gently spread, doing your best to cover the brownie batter. The cookie dough should be such that you can spoon it and kind of stretch it with your fingers. Sprinkle more peanut butter and chocolate chips over the top if desired.
- For the 9x13 inch pan version, bake at 350 degrees F for 27-32 minutes or until toothpick when inserted comes out clean and cookie dough is lightly browned. If you have an instant read thermometer, insert it in the center. Temperature should top out around 200F.
- These take a while to cool. Let cool at room temperature until the pan is no longer hot, then transfer to a freezer or the refrigerator to speed things up. When cold, drizzle with melted chocolate mixture.
Half Batch 8-Inch Square Pan Version
- For a half batch, halve all the ingredients, assemble in an 8-inch square pan. Instead of baking at 350 degrees F, bake at 325F for about 35 minutes or until brownies top out at about 200 degrees F.
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