Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies

Peanut butter crunch brownies!! Rich chocolate brownies topped with a layer of peanut butter cream and, cacao nibs, and chocolate ganache.

I’m feeling like I’m doing some real adulting today you guys, and here’s why:

I MADE A DENTIST APPOINTMENT. Willingly. I won’t tell you how long it’s been, and there is no sense in dwelling on this.

(Plus my mom reads this sometimes and she would kill me if she knew. So.)

Obviously, rewarding myself with brownies for this massive accomplishment makes total sense and is not ironic at all.

Brooowwwwnnniiieeesss!!!!

Stuffed with a peanut butter filling that is better than Reese’s, plus cacao nibs for crunch, and then topped with a layer of chocolate ganache.

If that sounds like heaven to you, then you are in the right place.

The recipe for these is from Sarah Kieffer’s 100 Cookies cookbook, which I can’t stop baking from!! All of it’s recipes are super easy and craveable so I find myself just throwing them together every weekend on a whim. It’s not even conscious at this point, I’m just drawn to them.

The brownie base here is is deliciously fudgy with the perfect amount of rich chocolate flavor. I’ve made them on their own and they are just fabulous.

The only substantive change I made to Sarah’s recipe was to halve the chocolate ganache layer on top. I found it was too overwhelming with the full amount and really distracted from the peanut butter layer. If you don’t feel like being totally extra you could leave it off completely, though I think you know where I stand on this.

Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies

 

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Peanut butter crunch brownies!! Rich chocolate brownies topped with a layer of peanut butter cream and, cacao nibs, and chocolate ganache.

Yield: 16 brownies

Ingredients

For the brownies

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp (160 g) all purpose flour
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1½ cups (300 g) sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
• ½ cup (112 g) canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 tbsp (113 g) unsalted butter
• 8 oz (226 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup (25 g) Dutch process cocoa powder

For the peanut butter filling

• 1½ cups (323 g) creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
• 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

For the chocolate ganache

• 5 oz (142 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup (120 g) heavy cream
• ½ cup (60 g) cacao nibs

Instructions

For the brownies

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, canola oil, and vanilla. Set aside.
4. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a small bowl either in the microwave or on the stovetop. Whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until completely combined. Add the chocolate mixture to the sugar-egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 22-27 minutes, or until the sides have set and the top is crackly. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the pan.

For the peanut butter filling

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth. Set aside.

For the ganache

1. Place the chocolate in a small bowl.
2. Heat the heavy cream on the stovetop until it is just simmering, then pour over the chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and whisk together until completely smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.

To assemble

1. Once the brownies have cooled, spread the peanut butter filling over the top of them, using an offset spatula to smooth it into an even layer. Sprinkle the cacao nibs over the peanut butter.
2. Place in the freezer and chill for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the ganache over the peanut butter, smoothing it into an even layer. Place back in the freezer and chill until the chocolate has set, about 10 minutes.
4. Use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan and cut into even squares.

Notes

Recipe adapted slightly from 100 Cookies

3.5.3208