Thick, fudgy and totally decadent – these peanut butter stuffed brownies have a layer of creamy peanut butter filling sandwiched between layers of chocolate brownie. The ultimate treat if you love peanut and chocolate.
I have a lot of brownie recipes, and even quite a few variations of brownies with peanut butter – peanut butter cheesecake brownies, peanut butter frosted brownies, peanut butter brownies with peanut butter mixed into the brownie batter. But you can never have enough salty sweet peanut butter and gooey, fudgy brownie.
And that’s where these peanut butter stuffed brownies come in. You get an extra thick, fudgy, chewy chocolate brownie with a layer of creamy peanut butter filling in the middle that tastes like a peanut butter cup. These brownies have the perfect texture with shiny tops. But it’s the flavor combo of peanut butter and chocolate is what really steals the show here.
Making Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
When I first started experimenting with this recipe, I used pure peanut butter for the filling. However, I found that it wasn’t thick enough and therefore simply oozed out when slicing the baked brownies leading to one big mess and basically no more peanut butter stuffing. I realized I needed the filling to be thicker. The peanut butter filling we’re using instead is very similar to the middle of a peanut butter cup or my peanut butter Oreo bars. You’ll mix together ¾ cup peanut butter with 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. The mixture should be somewhat dry and much thicker than regular peanut butter. Then pop it in the fridge as you make the brownie batter.
For the brownie batter, we’re making thick and chewy brownies made with both chocolate and cocoa for the perfect flavor.
- First you’ll whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa and salt. This helps everything mix together later and helps to removes lumps in the flour and cocoa. I recommend using Dutch process cocoa when making brownies for the most flavor (it’s the darker cocoa – sometimes called specialty dark).
- Start by melting together the butter and chocolate. Whether you’re melting chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler, it’s important to do so slowly. Otherwise the chocolate can bake or burn and become grainy. If using a microwave, use 45 second intervals on medium power (hot high power, which is often the default) and stir between each interval. If using a double boiler, have the water gently simmering with the pan over low-medium heat. Remember – the water in the bottom saucepan should not touch the bottom of your bowl.
- Once the butter and chocolate are melted, let the bowl sit for a few minutes so that the mixture isn’t super hot. Then whisk in the sugar, eggs, additional egg yolk and vanilla extract. You’ll need 3 eggs in total for this recipe, but we’re only using the egg yolk from the third egg. The additional egg yolk makes the brownies more chewy. No one likes dry brownies.
- Then sift in the dry ingredients and gently whisk the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Cocoa powder can be so clumpy, which is why I recommend sifting. Be sure to stop mixing once you no longer see streaks of dry ingredients. The batter should be shiny and glossy.
Then it’s time to assemble the brownies.
- Pour about ½ of the brownie batter into your prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
- Take the peanut butte filling out of the fridge. Scoop out balls of the peanut butter filling and flatten down into disc shapes. Then place into an even layer on top of the brownie batter. You can use your fingers to kind of spread the peanut butter filling as needed. I highly recommend lightly greasing your hands first to make this easier. If not all of the brownie base is covered, that’s ok.
- Then drop spoonfulls of the remaining brownie batter on top of the peanut butter layer.
- Spread the brownie batter into an even layer, covering the peanut butter filling.
The brownies will bake in your oven for about 30-35 minutes. Like all brownies, this time will depend on how gooey you like your brownies and your oven. When they’re done baking, the top should look set and if you insert a toothpick into the top of the brownies, it shouldn’t come out with gooey brownie batter on it (a few damp crumbs it totally ok). The brownies will need to cool completely before slicing. This allows the peanut butter middle to set properly so that it doesn’t ooze out when slicing. Plus – waiting for the brownies to cool fully will give you these beautiful brownie cuts.
Thick, fudgy and the perfect combo of peanut butter and chocolate – yeah…. these are that good. And if you love peanut butter and chocolate, then I highly recommend giving the following recipes a try:
- Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
Equipment
- 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Filling
- ¾ cup smooth peanut butter not natural
- 1 cup powdered sugar (110 grams) AKA icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brownie Batter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (63 grams)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (22 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (112 grams)
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (180 grams) or 50-60% dark chocolate
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk discard the white, in addition to the 2 full eeggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan with parchment paper so that there is an overhang around the edges. You may want to lightly grease the pan first so that the parchment sticks to the pan.
Peanut Butter Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat together the peanut butter, powdered sugar and salt until combined. If your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift first. Place in the fridge as you make the brownie batter.
Brownie Batter
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, melt together the butter and chocolate. If using bar/blocks of chocolate, chop finely first. Microwave on medium power (not high power, which is often the default) for 45-second intervals, stirring between each interval. Alternatively, melt in a double boiler over gently simmering water.
- Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes to cool slightly. Then whisk in the sugar, 2 eggs, additional egg yolk and vanilla extract until combined and the mixture is glossy (you shouldn't see clumps of egg).
- Add the dry ingredients into the chocolate and butter mixture (sift them in if they're lumpy). Then whisk until the batter is smooth and you no longer see streaks of dry ingredients.
Assembling and Baking the Brownies
- Add ½ of the brownie batter to the prepared tin and smooth into an even layer.
- Take the peanut butter filling out of the fridge. Scoop out tablespoons and flatten them down slightly. Then place the peanut butter pieces on top of the brownie layer to create an even layer that covers the brownie (if it doesn't quite cover all of the brownie, that's ok.
- Spoon the remaining brownie batter over the peanut butter layer - do not just pour the remaining brownie batter on top as you can end up disturbing the peanut butter layer.
- Spread the top brownie batter layer into an even layer so that the peanut butter layer is covered.
- Baking the brownies in the middle of the preheated oven for about 32-37 minutes, or until the top looks set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few damp crumbs. It shouldn't have gooey any brownie batter on it.
- Cool the brownies in the pan until the pan is no longer warm to the touch. This will take a few hours. You can speed it up by placing the brownie pan in the fridge on a wire rack. When ready to slice, lift out of the pan using the overhang of the parchment paper. Set on a cutting board and slice using a sharp knife.
Notes
- Peanut Butter: Be sure to use smooth, commercially prepared peanut butter. Do not use anything labeled natural or where the oil sits on top.
- Butter: If using salted, feel free to omit the salt from the recipe.
- Chocolate: Feel free to use chocolate chips or a chocolate bar or squares. I like to use semi-sweet or 50-60% dark chocolate for this recipe. I find using anything stronger than 65% dark chocolate is too much for this recipe when paired with the peanut butter.
- Storage: Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Brownies can be wrapped tightly and placed in a freezer bag or container and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 brownie, assuming the pan is sliced into 12 equal brownies.
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