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I’m obsessed with peanut butter and have no shortage of peanut butter desserts in my recipe index. You guys know this already!
However, sometimes the most frustrating part of baking with peanut butter is that the intensity of that distinct nutty taste is subdued with baking.
Unless you’re making my No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake or Peanut Butter Frosting, you just lose some of that peanutty goodness once it enters the oven. Especially when you add another strong flavor like chocolate to the mix.
So I challenged myself to create Peanut Butter Brownies that maintained the integrity of the peanut flavor even after baking.
I thought about just topping chocolate brownies with a PB frosting or adding peanut butter chips to the brownie batter. But I wanted them to be ultra-rich, fudgy, and slightly gooey. I wanted them to be like a peanut butter cup, but with brownie instead of solid chocolate enrobing the PB. Because this is how my mind works.
So I came to the conclusion that stuffing the brownies with peanut butter would do the trick. But how do you prevent the peanut butter from melting into the batter as it bakes and losing its distinct taste and texture?
Well, you basically freeze a layer of peanut butter in advance of stuffing! Doing so gives you the best texture that peanut butter has to offer.
I got the idea from Recipe Tin Eats, she did the same thing but with Nutella!
So I took that technique and coupled it with PB and my favorite simple brownie base, and the results were nothing short of mouthwatering.
Make sure you have a glass of cold milk handy when serving. These babies are so thick, rich, and fudgy, they practically require it!
How to Make Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
How to Add Peanut Butter to Brownies
This is the fun part of this recipe! To get the best peanut butter flavor AND texture:
- Prepare the pan. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper. Create an overhang so that you can lift the sheet of peanut butter out of the pan and place it back in the freezer while you mix up the batter.
- Melt the peanut butter. Pour it into the prepared pan.
- Freeze. Place the pan of PB in the freezer until solid, about 1 hour.
- Prepare the brownie batter as directed below. Pour half the brownie batter into the pan. Top the batter with the frozen sheet of PB, then pour the remaining batter on top. Bake immediately!
- Please note: be sure to use conventional creamy peanut butter like Skippy or Jif. Any kind of “natural” peanut butter in which the oil separates won’t work in this recipe.
How to Make Fudgy Brownies
- The butter content in these brownies helps create a rich, fudgy brownie.
- The extra egg yolk adds even more richness.
- You’ll also notice there’s no baking soda or baking powder in this recipe. That’s because we’re making fudgy rich brownies, not cake.
- Whisking the eggs vigorously for a full minute as the recipe instructs will add enough air to slightly leaven the brownies without creating a cakey texture.
- Whatever you do, be sure not to accidentally over-measure the flour and cocoa powder. For perfect measurements and best results, weigh all ingredients with a digital kitchen scale.
- If you don’t have one, then lightly spoon each ingredient into the measuring cup and sweep off the excess. This will prevent you from compacting too much into the cup and creating dry brownies.
- Use a high-fat cocoa powder – learn more about that here.
- Additionally, try not to overbake your brownies to prevent them from drying out. I found the perfect bake time to be around 30 minutes in my oven.
Is Oil or Butter Better For Fudgy Brownies?
I recently experimented with Butter vs. Oil in brownies to see how the type of fat used affects the final result. The brownies made with butter were fudgier and softer than the oil brownies. There were also some shocking differences in the crusts of the two brownie batches! You’ll find this Peanut Butter Brownie recipe uses all butter for the perfect texture and flavor.
Check out my Butter vs. Oil in Baking article for a full breakdown of each of these fats and how they affect tenderness, flavor, and texture in baked goods (and not just brownies).
What Pan is Best For Baking Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies?
- A square light-colored reflective metal baking pan such as this one is always my go-to for practically any brownie recipe.
- Metal (namely high-quality heavy aluminized steel or anodized aluminum) conducts heat more quickly and efficiently than glass or ceramic pans.
- Avoid metal pans that are darkly colored as they conduct heat too aggressively and will likely lead to burnt or dried edges.
- If you must use a glass or ceramic pan please note that the texture of the brownies may become gummy or overly dense and they’ll likely take significantly longer to bake. You run the risk of the center never cooking through with glass or ceramic.
- Learn more in my Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans article.
Are Peanut Butter Brownies Supposed to be Gooey in the Middle?
- I like my brownies to remain slightly gooey and soft in the middle. Especially these ones since they’re stuffed with peanut butter!
- However, they should still bake up so they’re safe to eat and solid enough to eat by hand once cooled and sliced.
- Make sure to allow your brownies to cool completely if they seem gooey.
- I love eating brownies chilled, especially in the summertime! Cold brownies are super fudgy – give it a try!
- You can always let them cool, cut into squares, then nuke in the microwave if you want them so gooey they require a fork to eat.
How to Make Brownies with Shiny Thin Crust
You know that shiny, glossy, crinkly, tissue-thin crust on top of brownies? The key to achieving that crust requires dissolving your sugar properly! I share my secret methods for perfectly crinkly brownie tops in this article. And some surprising mistakes you may be making which prevent the brownie “skin!”
How to Get Perfect Brownie Slices
Science has shown our visual perception of food actually influences how tasty we perceive food to be. If you want to get perfectly clean, neat, and even brownie slices, check out my How to Cut Brownies Cleanly in 5 Steps article. Don’t worry – even if you don’t follow all these tips, your brownies will taste super delicious.
How to Store Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies:
- Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- They’ll become more like a thick fudge in the fridge in the most delicious way.
- You can also reheat the brownies in the microwave until they’re gooey again, if you’d prefer.
More Homemade Brownie Recipes
Peanut butter filling:
-
1 1/4
cups
(336 grams) creamy conventional peanut butter
(NOT 'natural')**
Brownies:
-
10
tablespoons
(142 grams) unsalted butter
-
4
ounces
(113 grams) semisweet baking chocolate,
chopped
-
1
cup
(200 grams) granulated sugar
-
2
large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
1/2
cup
(64 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1/4
cup
(25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder,
sifted
-
1/4
teaspoon
fine salt
Make the peanut butter filling:
-
Place the peanut butter in a heat-safe bowl and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or until pourable but not super hot.
-
Line a metal 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Spread the peanut butter into an even layer in the pan. Freeze for 1 hour or until solidified. Use the parchment to remove from pan and return peanut butter sheet to freezer. Keep frozen while making the brownie batter.
Make the brownies:
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the square pan again with parchment paper, leaving an overhang.
-
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and chocolate. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Add the sugar to the hot butter mixture and whisk vigorously until combined. Allow to cool until just barely warm.
-
Add in eggs, yolk, and vanilla extract and whisk for about 1 minute, or until very well combined.
-
Use a rubber spatula to stir in flour, cocoa powder, and salt until just combined.
-
Pour half of the batter into prepared pan and smooth out. Carefully place the frozen peanut butter sheet over the batter. Pour remaining batter on top, covering completely.
-
Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through but still very slightly gooey in the center. Let cool in pan 30 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool for another 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
-
Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serving chilled makes the brownies extra fudgy!
Feel free to reduce the amount of peanut butter to 1 cup or 3/4 cup if you want less.
To double this recipe, use a 9x13 pan and bake for the same amount of time.
If I wanted to make the peanut butter brownies and a batch of plain brownies could I still us this recipe and leave out the peanut butter. Not trying to make two different recipes.
Hi Chris! I recommend instead trying Tessa’s Best Ever Chewy Brownies and perhaps add a peanut butter frosting to some, so you can easily please everyone? Let us know how it goes 🙂
Glad you honoured Nagi and her crew of Recipe Tin Eats for the technical resolve of melting ingredients. I think that is important to do.
Your recipe and site are enticing and i will definitely return.
Do you have any other ingredients with which you find yourself wonderfully obsessed? (Mine are pasta and cheeses, but my weigh scale and my doctor say they are not wonderful obsessions.) wrong! I just need more control of obsessions. Meanwhile… these gooey brownies with that thin cracked crust will run a very close second soon.
Hi Mare! Glad to hear that you enjoy Tessa’s scientific approach to baking! Tessa’s biggest flavor passions are definitely chocolate + peanut butter, as you see here, and also all things cookies and all things chocolate 🙂
Regarding doubling the recipe – would you please let me know if it’s a straight up doubling of all the ingredients – except cook time, which should remain the same using the larger pan? Thanks so much.
Hi Brenda! As Tessa mentioned at the bottom of the recipe, “To double this recipe, use a 9×13 pan and bake for the same amount of time.” This does means that all ingredients are simply doubled and there’s no need to adjust anything further. Please note that every oven is different and baking times are always more of a guideline, so follow the sensory indicator in the recipe over the bake time – so bake “until cooked through but still very slightly gooey in the center”. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I don’t know if I missed the reason, but why not natural peanut butter?
Hi Emery! Natural peanut butter can separate and become oily, but Tessa has recently experimented more with using natural peanut butter in her Peanut Butter Cookies, and found that it actually gives a stronger PB flavor in baking! As long as you stir the natural PB very, very well (so it’s totally cohesive, with no oily or dry bits), it should be fine to use in these brownies – we just haven’t had a change to test this out for ourselves yet to verify. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! 🙂
Thanks for responding, I tried it and they turned out fine! I didn’t notice any separation.
Glad to hear that! 🙂
Can you put mini peanut butter cups in the brownies instead of the creamy peanut butter? and if you can, do I mix it with the brownies of layer it in the middle?
Hi Jackie! This recipe is designed to have a layer of actual peanut butter in the middle (you melt the peanut butter and then freeze until solid, then layer between the batter). If you’re looking to instead incorporate mini peanut butter cups, I would instead suggest trying out Tessa’s Best Chewy Brownies, and swap out the chocolate chips for mini peanut butter cups. Otherwise, Tessa’s copycat Cosmic Brownies would be delicious with mini peanut butter cups on top! 🙂
Whilst mine maintained structure enough to eat, when I pulled them out of the pan the brown was incredibly soft. My corners struggled to make it out of the pan, so I put it in the fridge to solidify and it was fine after that. Any idea why this could be?
Hi Trenton! It sounds like perhaps these were just a little underbaked. Once fully cooled, these should come out of the pan very easily. A few minutes longer in the oven would potentially have solved this issue! I also wonder what type of pan you’re baking the brownies in? Glass vs metal pans can make a big difference on the baked result, as Tessa shows in this article here. I hope that helps! 🙂
These look delicious! Just wondering if they will keep well in the freezer for a future event?
Hi Dawn! We haven’t tried that, but I’d imagine it’d work just fine if in an airtight container! You’ll want to thaw them in the fridge overnight before serving. Let us know what you think of this recipe when you give it a try 🙂
Yum! Truly a peanut butter lovers dessert! I doubled the recipe (followed exactly) and used a 9×13 pan. These brownies froze beautifully in an airtight container. I cut them into smaller squares when they were still slightly frozen, as they are very rich. Not only delicious, but they looked picture perfect on a serving tray. Thank you for the great recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear that you enjoyed these brownies, Dawn!
I am IN LOVE! I have never been able to make good brownies UNTIL NOW! Thank you for this recipe and all the tips and tricks and for ALL the knowledge you impart.
Used Nutella instead of peanut butter and it was amazing! I won’t use as much Nutella next time, was a bit much, but really can’t complain as it was still delightful! I had to cook an extra 12 minutes than what the recipe said, that could be elevation or my oven, as I typically always have to bake extra. No complaints and will absolutely make again!!!
I make this recipe regularly every few months since I first discovered it about 2 yr ago. It is far and away the best of the dozen or so peanut butter/brownie recipes I have tried. So many of these other recipes adulterate the yummy peanut butter with powdered sugar or butter. Pouring the melted peanut butter onto parchment paper, then freezing it in the 9″ rather than 8″ pan is sheer genius. I also love how crispy the top turns out. This is simply one of the great brownie recipes out there.
This brownie recipe is a personal favorite of mine, too!! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe so much!! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Jump to recipe button is broken.
No one cares about the story
Hi Kristin! I’m so sorry you don’t enjoy this blog post. Much of what is written (and therefore skipped by pressing the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button) is Tessa’s expert advice and incredibly helpful tips for ensuring this recipe is a success! I hope you read over the pink tip box before trying any of our recipes – I promise you won’t regret it, after seeing all you can learn from Tessa! I just tested the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button on this page myself, and it seems to be working now! Sometimes it takes a moment to load the content. I’d suggest waiting until the content has loaded fully before pressing the button, and that should do the trick! Let me know if I can help further. Have a great day 🙂
I have several pb lovers in my family who insist that I make this brownie weekly It’s perfect every time I make it have a double batch about to go into the oven now
Completely unnecessary comment and totally inappropriate. Hopefully today is looking better, and may you have the day you most certainly deserve.
I agree! Totally unnecessary comment. If the “jump to” button is broken, that’s one thing but she should speak for herself! I LOVE all the information Tessa gives freely, I might add. She has helped me immensely with all of her tips. I hope that person has the day they deserve. She sounds miserable.
My co-workers ask for me to bring these in!!! Very good. I use what ever PB I have in my cupboard. I cut down a tad on salt if using salted butter.
Much appreciated
So happy these are such a hit with your coworkers, Debi!
These were amazing! Very rich. Grab a glass of milk and dig in. Yummy!
So thrilled you enjoyed these brownies so much, Becky!! Definitely a match made in heaven with a glass of milk 😉
Hi Tessa!
I only have crunchy Jiff. Would that work?
Hi Stephanie! It will work – you will just have the little crunchy peanut bits in there, but if you like that, go for it 🙂
can I please get the carb count for this recipe. TYIA
Hi Jeannie, here at Handle the Heat, we don’t count carbs or calories. We firmly believe that dessert is meant to be an indulgence and should never be punished ❤️️ You’re welcome to use a carb counter online to find out for yourself, but we can’t help further. Good luck!
Wow, made these this weekend and they were A-mazing! And they didn’t last long! Thank you so much!
This was really good and I would make this again!
hello! am just wondering instead of using the frozen PB, are we able to use melted PB instead?
Hi Cheryl! No, that won’t achieve the same results. Melted peanut butter would melt into the batter as it bakes and would lose its distinct taste and texture!
I made these today. Absolutely delicious! My family loved them!
Can I use chocolate chips instead of baking chocolate? We don’t have any baking chocolate on hand
Hi Miranda! We prefer using baking chocolate because chips have added ingredients that help them to maintain their chip shape when exposed to heat, and they won’t melt down as smoothly as a chopped baking bar; however, you’re welcome to give it a try! 🙂
Without anything added to the peanut butter filling, it almost tasted burned once the brownies were cooked. not really a recipe I’d make again. Instead Id do a peanut butter frosting or something else.
Sorry to hear that, it definitely shouldn’t taste like that! What kind of peanut butter did you use? Also, what type of pan did you bake them in, was it light or dark colored? I’d love to help figure out what went wrong!
These look AMAZING! Do you think this peanut butter method would work with your chewy brownie recipe? It’s my all-time FAVE brownie recipe but I wasn’t sure if there would be issues with swapping it in for the brownie part.Thank you!!
Hi Ruth! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! Let us know how it goes if you give them a try 🙂
Slower cooking?
Hi Douglas! Can you please elaborate? I’m not sure what you mean. Thanks!
I think he means it takes longer than 30 mins to bake; Like significantly longer than 30 mins.
Can I substitute a cream cheese base instead of peanut butter? If so how would I make the filling?
We haven’t tried that with this specific recipe, so I can’t say for sure! You might be interested in our Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars or our Brownie Bottom Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars. If you experiment with this recipe, please let us know how it goes!
Using a light reflecting metal pan… I’d like to double this recipe but was wondering how to adjust the baking time. Thanks!!
Hi Jules! To double this recipe, bake in a 9×13 pan. You shouldn’t have to adjust the baking time. Let us know what you think!
Hi. Could I possibly freeze the peanut butter square overnight for use the next day? Thanks
Yes, that’s fine! Just make sure it’s in an air-tight container. Enjoy your brownies!
Thanks for your prompt reply. I actually put it in the freezer per the directions and it worked fine. These were very simple and easy to make. Got rave reviews. I actually liked the fact that they were not too sweet. I will be making these again. Thanks for a great recipe.
So wonderful to hear your brownies were enjoyed! Happy to help 🙂
I am not a baker – true novice here. This recipe is written with concise easy to follow directions. I made these brownies for a charity event to sell alongside other goodies which were made by experienced bakers. These babies were an early sell out. Not only delicious, they are also irresistible eye candy. Thank you for the killer recipe.
Amazing!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review, I’m so excited for you that they were such a hit!!
Can we not use the same recipe as the Chocolate Brownie Recipe on your Instagram Highlight? I’m asking this because it’s by far on of the BEST recipes I’ve ever tried and I’m almost sceptical to use cocoa powder in my batter anymore.
My Fudgy Brownie recipe? I haven’t tried that, let me know how it goes!
I have made hundreds of brownie recipes in my life, and a score of peanut butter brownie recipes. Many of these are good, but they all adulterate the peanut butter with butter and/or powdered sugar. With this recipe you get the pure jolt of peanut butter with every bite. Liquifying then freezing the peanut butter layer is genius.
This is clearly the best peanut butter brownie recipe out there.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it! You just made my day 🙂
Hi! Since I don’t have a 8 inch spare pan, could I bake these brownies in an approx. 8 inch springform? Do I need to make any adjustments to the recipe (amounts of ingredients, baking time)? Thanks for your help!
I haven’t tried them in an 8-inch springform so I can’t say for sure! I’d make sure it’s not a dark-colored pan. You shouldn’t have to make any adjustments to the recipe, but with the baking time it all depends on the actual size of your springform as well as the type (light or dark-colored) of pan that it is. Let me know how it goes!
Hi Tessa! So first of all this recipe is amazing! Everyone who ate them raved about how good they are. Super fudgelicious!
The springform pans worked well. I was backing 3 pans at a time. One of them was getting burnt slightly, so I took them out. The middle was still a bit gooey and then deflated. but all of this was nothing a sharp knife and a generous amount of chocolate ganache topping couldn’t fix. 😉 I just made a second batch today and the 2 pans is cooling right now, I am curious to see how they turned out. I turned off the oven after ca. 28 min. and let them sit in the warm oven for a few more minutes before taking them out. Anyway, thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for checking back in with us, Mimi, to let us know how it went! So happy they were such a hit 🙂
Hi! I’m gonna make this for my fam but can do this with Kraft peanut butter?
Any creamy conventional peanut butter is fine, just make sure it’s NOT natural! Enjoy your brownies!
Turned out so good! My family loved these brownies!!
Hooray!!
We were too lazy and didn’t freeze the peanut butter but they still turned out SO amazing!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This was so easy and delicious. Followed the recipe exactly as written and it came out perfectly.
I tried making this for the first time yesterday for my Bible study group and everyone loved it. It’s going to be a weekly brownie served at our sessions now ! I used natural peanut butter that didn’t have the oil too separated from the paste so it still worked.
Just wondering, does the brownie batter become like chocolate mousse before baking? Mine looked like that and i had to manually spread it with my spatula to cover the base of the baking pan .
These were amazing! Very easy to make and turned out perfectly. I think this is the first batch of brownies I’ve made that weren’t overcooked. Freezing the peanut butter layer had me thinking – could you use a similar method to make blondies with a jam layer (instead of brownies with a peanut butter layer)?
So glad you enjoyed these brownies! And I think that should work!
Много благодаря за страхотния десерт. Правя го вече няколко пъти.
Страхотна идея е това с фъстъченото масло.
I doubled the recipe, and it turned out perfectly! I will definitely be making these again. Freezing the peanut butter is genius !
So glad you enjoyed these brownies!
These are the best brownies I’ve ever had in my life. And they still would be if I’d actually had brownies other than Betty Crockers boxed powder. Sorry Betty, you’ve been replaced!
Haha yay! This is such an amazing compliment – thank you!
Are you supposed to remove the parchment paper at all before you bake these? The recipe didn’t call for such things, so I have parchment paper above the frozen peanut butter, that’s spread with the cocoa powder. Something tells me I was supposed to remove the parchment paper that the frozen peanut butter was attached to because how is the peanut butter supposed to make it to the other bottom layer if there’s parchment paper in the way?
I already have these baking. I’m so worried. Please email me or contact me asap!
Oh, no! What did you end up doing? Where you able to salvage the brownies?
Hi there, i wanted to thank you for this recipe. I’ve been baking it and selling it in my Coffee van here in ireland for the past few weeks and here is some of the feedback i had: “Best thing you baked so far”, “Best brownie i had in my life”, “they are to die for”.
Thanks so much for this gorgeous recipe !
What can I replace the peanut butter with …
I made these brownies today and they are delicious. Recipe is perfect. Easy! Will definitely make again.
How much should I adjust the baking time for a 9″ pan do you think? Or will they be too thin in that case? I suppose I could make a bit more batter.
I made this yesterday and it’s beautiful!! It tastes so good. Just a question, why there is no pretty crack on top of my brownies? It is completely shiny. I see that yours have that pretty crack.
I made this for my friend’s birthday. She loves peanut butter and chocolate. I was very disappointed. The brownies were simply not sweet enough!! I followed the directions perfectly, next time I will use my own brownie recipe and even add some sugar to the peanut butter filling. I apologized to her and told her to eat them with ice cream!!!
So. Stinking. Good. I made these in a glass pan so they were slightly underbaked, but oh man… a little vanilla ice cream on top and WHOA!