I’ve been making lots of peanut butter recipes recently. Even more so than usual.
But I doubt you’re complaining.
I’m on vacation and make things that I know will turn out and that we like. This isn’t the time I want to experiment.
And I’ll never say no to peanut butter and chocolate, especially by way of dense, fudgy, rich, one-bowl brownies.
I have three main brownie base recipes on my site, that all others are derived from.
They’re each one-bowl, no-mixer recipes, that you can make in less than 5 minutes. As fast as using a boxed mix and they include:
Three eggs with melted chocolate in a 9×9 pan
Two eggs with cocoa powder in a 8×8 pan
Two eggs with cocoa powder in a 9×9 pan
I went for option two because the smaller the batch size, the better. I’m getting into a swimsuit daily.
Also, I tend not to keep chocolate bars on hand here in Aruba because they melt, whereas I always have cocoa powder stashed.
I melted the butter in the micro, whisked in the rest of the ingredients, and since I didn’t want to be bothered with having to frost them after baking, I swirled in peanut butter before baking.
I’m a big fan of peanut butter swirls and swirls in general. They’re a time-saver and they taste good. A win-win.
There are two major turnoffs for me with brownies, cakey and dry, and these are neither. They’re thick, dense, rich, ultra-fudgy, with zero traces of cakiness nor dryness.
Although cocoa powder sometimes gets a bad rap compared to melted chocolate, thousands of people love these cocoa powder brownies as I wrote about. You’ll change your mind about cocoa powder after trying them.
They’re not too sweet, very chocolaty, and I amp the chocolate intensity with a splash of coffee and espresso granules to bring out and enhance the chocolatiness, but they don’t make the brownies taste like coffee.
The peanut butter adds a touch of saltiness and balances the chocolate intensity.
And everything is better with peanut butter.
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Peanut Butter-Swirled Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 1/4 sticks, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee, leftover from the morning brew is fine, optional but recommend to enhance chocolate flavor and does not make brownies taste like coffee
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee, leftover from the morning brew is fine, optional but recommend to enhance chocolate flavor and does not make brownies taste like coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process, I used Hershey’s natural
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso granules, optional but recommend to enhance chocolate flavor and does not make brownies taste like coffee
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang on the sides, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute. Allow butter to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the eggs.
- Add the eggs, sugars, optional coffee, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the cocoa powder, optional espresso granules, optional salt, and whisk to combine. If your cocoa powder is lumpy, it could take a couple minutes of vigorous whisking.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan; set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the peanut butter and heat on high power to melt, about 45 seconds.
- Drizzle peanut butter over batter to create swirls. To create the marbled pattern shown, drizzle peanut butter over batter in 5 wide, evenly spaced, parallel lines, each spanning the length of the pan. Like 5 rows of long train tracks. Rotate pan 90-degrees. With a toothpick, starting at the top of the pan, “draw” 4 or 5 evenly spaced lines through the peanut butter. You’re dragging the toothpick perpendicularly through the first set of lines to create the marbling.
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until done; don’t overbake. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1 hour before lifting out with foil overhang and slicing.
- Brownies will keep airtight at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I prefer to store them in the fridge and serve them slightly chilled.
- Adapted from The Ultimate Fudgy Caramel Brownies
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My cookbook, Peanut Butter Comfort
What’s your favorite brownie recipe?
There can never be enough peanut butter recipes. I aim for at least one a week!
I adore cocoa powder brownies. I think I actually prefer them to ones made with bars of chocolate. Love those peanut butter swirls too!
yeah, no complaints here!!! So much yumminess, seriously, gorgeous& delicious. As always!
These wont help my peanut butter addiction, they look too good!!
They’re the easiest brownies if you ever just need a small pan and want super fudgy brownies that you swear use 10oz of melted chocolate, but use 0!
I loooove all your PB creations! Your cookbook is da bomb diggidy!!!! And I am so addicted to Peanut Butter, it’s becoming an obsession!
Glad you like my cookbook! :) LMK what you try from it!
You are the peanut butter queen! Your peanut butter recipes always look amazing. I need to get your book asap!
Thanks, Jaclyn! If you pick it up, you have to tell me what you make first!
My go-to recipe for brownies also uses cocoa powder. I don’t keep bars around because a) I have no space, b) tropical heat. But cocoa works so so well for me I don’t think I’ll try chocolate bars again. And I’m gonna nick your peanut butter swirl idea for my next batch ;-)
In San Diego, chocolate doesn’t melt just…sitting on the counter. In Aruba, it does! So I totally understand about not wanting the hassle!
I am having a serious craving for brownies right now. First I saw them on Family Fresh Cooking and now on your blog as well. Yum, I would love one right now. :)
Thanks for clicking over and saying hi!
This is one of my favorite brownie recipes! I love how dense and rich they are – not overly sweet, not lacking flavor, and definitely NOT dry. One of the fudgiest, moistest brownies I have ever eaten! I can only imagine how amazing a hunk of peanut butter would be swirled on top. I love all your pretty swirl recipes Averie! What amazing photos, too. You capture every single little detail. What I wouldn’t do to reach through the screen and grab one right now! Pinning. Thought of you all day! xo
Thanks for pinning & you have no idea how much I HATE these photos. Like, I almost didn’t post them. Nothing I take in Aruba turns out well. It’s yellow, dark, shadowy, and I try to work with it; hence cooking brown/dark or golden food – but it just never quite works out. So thanks for saying you actually like the pics. And I know you love this Alice Medrich recipe too. I would have never believed cocoa powder could be this moist until I tried it!
You can never have too much peanut butter! These brownies look so fudgy and perfect.
BTW – I can’t wait to get your cookbook, I have heard so many great things about it!
Thanks Erin! LMK what you make from it!
Loving this extra-super-fudgy brownie recipe with those ooey-gooey PB swirly ribbons throughout, Averie! Can one use the word stunning to describe such a homey treat? I say “yes” when dolled up like this. Beautiful and striking photography here, girl! Cannot wait to make these. Thanks for sharing! xo
You have no idea how much I HATE these photos. Like, I almost didn’t post them. Nothing I take in Aruba turns out well. It’s yellow, dark, shadowy, and I try to work with it; hence cooking brown/dark or golden food – but it just never quite works out. Thank you for saying you like them – means a lot! :) The brownies TASTE great; I just don’t like the way they look in the pics!
It’s such a pet peeve of mine when brownies are dry and cakey! It’s so disappointing. I love rich, dense and intensely fudgey brownies that are incredibly sinful ;) My all-time favorite brownie recipe is Barefoot Contessa’s fudge brownies with walnuts. OMG. They are awesome. These are even better looking because they have the addition of peanut butter- my favorite thing! You’re so right on how you can never go wrong with peanut butter. It honestly makes everything better :) These remind me of Sally’s Skinny Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies. It’s so funny how similar you guys are sometimes.
They’re probably similar to Sally’s brownies (I didn’t even check her recipe) but I know she has made a recipe very similar to these; it’s the Alice Medrich recipe. So many people from Deb/Smitten Kitchen to a zillion bloggers have made these cocoa powder brownies/Alice M brownies or a version on a theme. But yes, we are really good friends and we never talk about recipes actually :) and it’s crazy like on the same day, we will both post banana bread. Or fruity yeast rolls or PB cookies. Stuff we couldn’t plan if we tried!
I love fudgy brownies and even more so when a PB swirl is involved!
Thanks, Laura!
Great photos and post! They look delicious!
Thanks, Dave! Not my fave photos I’ve ever taken but the brownies TASTE great, even if the photos are just…meh :)
I just recently stumbled across your website while searching for a s’mores cookie recipe. And now I’m beyond obsessed. I could seriously sit here at the computer all day and just read your blog and stare at your AMAZING pictures of all the decadent and yummy treats you concoct. I am obsessed with anything chocolate and peanut butter and am actually making your peanut butter nutella no-bake bars today. I think I will go hit the gym in preparation for the goodies I’m about to make….and then gorge on. These brownies will be next!! Can’t wait to try them! Thanks and keep up the great work! :)
Thanks for finding me, Kelly! And for the wonderful and glowing compliments. I appreciate it! Please keep me posted what you make! I love hearing the field reports!
These brownies are just calling (SCREAMING!!) my name. So moist, so flavorful, so beautiful! Truly, I’ve never seen brownies that are as pretty to look at as they are delicious to eat. Gorgeous!
I HATE these photos. Like, I almost didn’t post them. Nothing I take in Aruba turns out well. It’s yellow, dark, shadowy, and I try to work with it; hence cooking brown/dark or golden food – but it just never quite works out. So thanks for saying you actually like the pics. The brownies TASTE way better than they look :)