Chocolate and peanut butter, a classic combo since day one. This morning I woke up, and my hands were itching to whisk something. So, I grabbed a stick of butter and set to work. Wanting to try to make my own peanut butter brownie recipe for some time now, I chose today to be the day that I do. I didn’t search for any recipes, and I didn’t want to re-use my own brownie recipe. These brownies are pure off-the-cuff baking, which I feel comfortable doing since they do not require leavening. Looking in my pantry, I found a box of instant chocolate pudding mix, and I got the idea to add that to my batter. I figured pudding-y brownies could not be bad by any means, and I sure was not wrong. These peanut butter swirl brownies truly are a dream come true, just try one and find out.
Standing out from the crowd…
I was a little worried to make these since I felt like they may not be “creative enough”. If you type peanut butter swirl brownies into google you find a million results to choose from. But I think these guys really stand out from the crowd. The pudding gives them a moisture and chew that I have yet to experience in any brownie, and the chocolate flavor is outstanding. I added a bit more salt to these brownies than I normally would in order to highlight the savory flavor of the peanut butter, and that was definitely the move. If you have it, I also think that flakey sea salt would be a delicious addition. Moist and gooey, these have become my new favorite brownies!
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2½ ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate (melted)
- 3.9 ounces Instant Chocolate Pudding Packet
- ⅓ cup Cocoa Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
For the Peanut Butter Swirl:
- ⅓ cup Peanut Butter
- 2 tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Brownies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8 inch pan.
- In a small sauce pan or in the microwave, melt the chocolate, set aside.
- In another, clean, small sauce pan, or in the microwave, melt the butter. Let cool for 5 minutes before pouring into a large bowl.
- Add the sugars to the butter and beat with a hand mixer or a whisk until incorporated.
- Add one egg at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- Add the cooled, but still melted chocolate. Beat in until the entire mixture is evenly brown in color.
- Add the pudding, cocoa powder, and salt, beat together until incorporated.
- Add the flour, beat until all of the flour is just incorporated, try not to over beat the batter.
- Pour the brownie batter into the greased 8×8 inch pan and smooth out into one, flat, even, layer.
For the Peanut Butter Swirl:
- In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- Drop the peanut butter mixture in clumps over top of the brownie mix. Using a knife, swirl the peanut butter mix through the brownie batter until you get the desired look on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting. Enjoy!
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