peanut butter swirl brownies
Hello, I’m here shouting from the void to bring you a brownie recipe.
Yes, FMG has been much quieter lately, but it’s an odd era, and I’m bouncing around a lot and navigating my own personal fiascos while trying to also be intuitive about what I want to do and when I want to do it. And honestly, since tis the season and that shit, I kinda just wanna bake all the time.
So, there’s been lots of butter and sugar floating around this realm. Treat yoself protocol. We’re dashing straight into the season of sweets with a decadent batch of Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies. I’m not sure why I wanted to make these so badly, but I did.
I think this particular day I threw them in the oven and once they were finished left them to cool while I embarked on a rainy run. Nice little chain of events, don’t you think? And they turned out stupendous. My favorite fudge brownie recipe rippled with peanut butter. Not a whole lot better than that, especially on dreary days.
Fudgy Wudgy Was a Bear
That’s not how the rhyme goes, is it?
Like I said, the base of these bad boys is my go-to brownie formula. They’re gooey, fudgy, and jammed with all the deeply chocolatey goodness a brownie requires.
First step: melt down some butter with dark chocolate chips. Semi sweet works, too. Get that shit real smooth and silky, then whisk in some sugar and dark brown sugar. The small bit of brown sugar adds a delightful caramelization to the batter. Oof.
In a big bowl, whip up a few eggs until very frothy and bubbly. This creates that glorious crackled top beloved in a proper brownie. Once that’s achieved, stream in the chocolate mixture as well as some espresso powder and vanilla extract.
Then comes flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. The dry shit. Mix until just combined, then fold in some extra chocolate chips. Never enough chippies.
Peanut Butter Swirly Time
Dump the batter into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan lined with parchment. You can use a 9 x 13 if you wish to make more brownies. They will be thinner, however, and you’ll have to decrease the baking time.
Now the fun part: the pb swirl. Dollop some spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter on top of the batter and make pretty waves with a knife or a skewer. I prefer a non-natural peanut butter for this, or a natural peanut butter that still contains palm oil.
Bake them brownies for 30-35 minutes if using a 9 x 9 inch pan; if using a larger pan, check them after 20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. I feel like that’s my baking tagline or some crap.
Important: let the brownies cool at least 30 minutes before attempting to slice. Otherwise you’ll be left with brownie goop, which is delicious but not exactly aesthetic. I usually put the whole pan on a wire rack, then after the 30 minutes pull the parchment out of the pan, either to slice the brownies or let them cool completely on the rack before storing.
I’d say brownies belong in a holiday cookie box (oof, not sure if I’m gonna manage one this year, but we’ll see) so bake up a batch for your own little goodie boxes and spread the joy via sweets.
I think we all need a little extra kiss of sugar this year.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Down-y for brownies:
peanut butter swirl brownies
Ingredients
- 10 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp instant espresso/coffee (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper, leaving a little dangling over the sides.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and 1 cup of the chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir, then heat an additional 20-30 seconds until completely smooth. Whisk in the sugar and brown sugar.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs until very frothy, about 3-4 minutes. Lower the speed on the mixer and stir in the chocolate mixture as well as the espresso powder (if using) and vanilla extract. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared cake pan. Dollop 1 tablespoon sized portions of peanut butter on top. Swirl with a knife or skewer, but do not overcombine – you want to see the swirly pattern still.
- Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes until an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan, set on a wire rack, for at least 30 minutes. Slice and serve, or transfer the parchment paper with the brownies onto the wire rack and cool completely before slicing and storing for later.
