Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
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These fudgy chocolate peanut butter brownies might be the most decadent and delicious brownies ever! They’re chocolatey, fudgy, and stuffed with a thick layer of peanut butter. Plus, you only need 9 ingredients, one bowl, and there’s no mixer required! I’ve tested the recipe without dairy and with dairy and it works both ways.
If you’ve tried my Biscoff brownies or my Nutella brownies, you’ll know I love stuffed brownie recipes. I’m also a major peanut butter lover, so I knew it was time to make a chocolate peanut butter brownie recipe!
These peanut butter is first melted and then frozen to create a thick layer that fits perfectly into the shape of your pan. It is then layered in between two layers of brownie batter before being baked right into the brownies.
Featured Reader Review
“This is probably my 10th time making this recipe because it is always a hit! It is the perfect chocolate peanut butter treat- rich, moist, and not overly sweet!”
M
When testing these peanut butter brownies, I tested with both melted chocolate and cocoa powder but ultimately the version with only cocoa powder was fudgier and had a better texture. Another perk is that it makes the recipe that much easier because there’s no need to melt any chocolate.
These chocolate brownies with peanut butter are made using only a few pantry staples that you probably already have on hand! You don’t even need any leaveners – this helps achieve an ultra gooey and chewy brownie – not a cakey one!
The saltiness of the peanut butter layer balances out the sweetness of the brownies so perfectly, and because of the way the peanut butter is layered, you get just the right amount of peanut butter and chocolate flavor in every bite.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: feel free to use regular butter or dairy free butter in this recipe – it has been tested both ways. I personally like using salted butter.
- Peanut Butter: I recommend a classic peanut butter like Skippy’s or JIF (the kind with sugar listed in the ingredients).
How To Make These Brownies
Whisk butter and sugars together.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix in the dry ingredients.
Add half the batter to a pan.
Add the frozen peanut butter layer.
Top with more batter and bake!
Recipe Developer Expert Tips
- Try to line the baking pan with wax paper and not parchment paper when you freeze the peanut butter layer, it will make it easier to peel the frozen peanut butter off later!
- If you want an extra peanut butter kick I recommend sprinkling the top of the brownies with some peanut butter chips just before baking, or mixing them right into the batter. You can also do the same with regular semisweet chocolate chips if you want!
More Peanut Butter Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Baking FAQ
These are the topics I’m asked about most frequently:
You can get these answers and more in my frequently asked questions post!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Video
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup (300 g) creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup (158 g) butter, melted, (regular or vegan)
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup (150) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (65 g) unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder
Instructions
- Line your 8×8 baking pan with wax paper on all four sides (this helps the peanut butter not stick!). Melt the peanut butter in the microwave or on the stove. Pour the melted peanut butter into the pan and then freeze for one to two hours – you’ll know it’s ready when you can remove the peanut butter in one piece.
- Once the peanut butter has frozen, preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine the flour with the salt and cocoa powder.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or over the stove, then pour into a medium bowl. Add in both sugars and whisk until it becomes very thick and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, then finally fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Take the frozen baking pan out of the freezer and remove the wax paper with the peanut butter. Line the pan with parchment paper, making sure it is slightly overhanging so you can easily lift the brownies out once cooled.
- Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Peel the peanut butter layer off of the wax paper and place it on top of the brownie batter.
- Pour the rest of the brownie batter on top and spread it so it is evenly covering the peanut butter layer. You can sprinkle over chocolate chips or peanut butter chips now if you wish!
- Bake the chocolate peanut butter brownies for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few wet crumbs.
Equipment
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Just want to clarify, should I use a different pan for baking or continue to use the pan that was used to freeze the peanut butter?
Hi Leah! You can absolutely use the same pan that was used to freeze the peanut butter! Lining it with parchment paper should make the frozen peanut butter come out easily, leaving the pan ready for your brownie mixture!
Made these for the first time today. They were a hit with my husband and two teens who had a taste test. Followed the instructions, made a double batch and froze them for my nephew’s birthday party next weekend. Once cooled, they cut beautifully.
Yay! So glad these were a hit! Thanks for your comment Laura!
As the grandlings and I were devouring these the other day, Grandling #1 had an inspiration: “Grumpy! We should make these again but do it like those peanut butter Oreo cookies, you know?” And as soon as she said it, I DID know! So we made this recipe again (far too soon, according to their highly sensible mother) with a change or two: on top of the peanut butter layer, we lined up 16 Oreos in a grid. Then we broke up 4 or 5 more Oreos and pushed them a bit into the top brownie layer. Incredible! Thanks from the three of us for the recipe and the inspiration!
This sounds amazing, John! Grandling #1 sounds like a future baker!! Thanks so much for sharing this!
So decadent! They’re sweet, salty, dense, fudgy, chewy! They make a beautiful presentation, too, w/ that layer of pb. And so easy to make.
Thank you Kat!
I’ve made these before.l and absolutely love them. But wondered if you have tried to bake a nutter butter cookie on top of the brownie; like you do with the biscoff cookie butter stuffed brownies? Kinda thinking of trying it plus I cute them into bars and individually wrap them. Otherwise I would eat more than one at a time.Â
That sounds delicious! Give it a try and let me know how they are! Thanks for your comment, Mj!
Forgive me for sticking my nose in, but if I were me, Nutter Butters would not be my choice simply because the actual cookie part isn’t peanut butter flavored, and the filling, which is, would probably melt and ooze out or something unappealing. On the other hand, your idea has definitely tweaked my interest, and I’m thinking Trader Joe’s Premium Peanut Butter Roundels or Peanut Butter Cartwheel Cookies, or maybe those great Archway Peanut Butter Cookies, or maybe even Keebler Peanut Butter Fudge Sticks (which are really those amazing Girl Scout cookies with a different name, I think)! Thanks for the great, creative idea, Mj!
This is probably my 10th time making this recipe because it is always a hit! It is the perfect chocolate peanut butter treat- rich, moist, and not overly sweet!
Glad this is your go-to recipe! Thank you for your review 🩵
This is a great and simple PB/chocolate brownie recipe. Freezing the layer of peanut butter is genius! I made these for someone who loves this combination and he enjoyed them so much. I’m making them again for a gathering and I’m sure they will be a big hit!
Hi Sue! Thank you for your kind review, glad you enjoyed!
This is a great recipe. Freezing the softened/melted peanut butter in the freezer is key to success with these brownies. They are easy to make, bake them in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes (I don’t like over-baked brownies), and let them set completely (even though the temptation to dive into them might be great!) When I make these again I will decrease the salt from 3/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon as they were a little salty, probably because creamy peanut butter has salt in it. I made these brownies for a friend who is crazy about chocolate/peanut butter and he loved them!
Thank you for your review Sue! Happy to hear you enjoyed them!
Very nice recipe please Grams for all recipe sand me please
All measurements in grams can be found by toggling to Metric from US Customary – the toggle button is right under the Ingredients heading!
Can I use crunchy peanut butter in this recipe?
Yes you can!
I made this for a family gathering and everyone that tried it, loved it! I followed the exact directions and didn’t need to change anything! Even included chocolate chips on top. Will make again.
I’m so happy that the brownies were a hit! Thanks so much for the review!
These came out amazing definitely making them again thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you loved them Alexis!
My new favorite brownies!
I’m so happy you loved them!