Sweet and salty is the best flavor combo. And these peanut butter brownies deliver the perfect balance of salty, smooth peanut butter mixed into decadent chocolate brownies. They are super fudgy, rich and delicious!
And for more easy brownie recipes, try Easy Sheet Pan Brownie Crisps, Coffee Fudge Brownies, Chocolate Hazelnut Blondies, and Black Forest Chocolate Brownies.
Brownies are a dime a dozen, but these brownies are the best (imho). You can make them with just eight simple ingredients.
And this recipe is perfect if you've never made brownies before, because everything comes together in one bowl in under an hour!
Plus this peanut butter brownie recipe taste as if Reese's peanut butter cups and fudgy brownies had a baby. It's magical.
Growing up in Germany, we'd usually only make brownies from the boxed mixes at the commissary on the army base. However, as I grew older, I came to love homemade brownies from scratch much more.
I'm telling you, nothing beats the flavor of fresh brownies from your own oven!
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil - Provides a more dense, fudgy texture compared to butter
- Eggs - Bind all the ingredients together
- Creamy peanut butter - Adds the perfect salty balance to sweet brownies.
- Vanilla - Enhances the flavors of the rest of the ingredients, like salt
- Granulated sugar - Adds necessary sweetness to your homemade brownies
- All-purpose flour - Builds the foundation for these thick brownies
- Cocoa powder - Use unsweetened cocoa powder to add a rich, chocolatey flavor
- Salt - Enhances the flavors of the rest of the ingredients, like vanilla
Substitutions
Don't have peanut butter in your pantry? Don't worry! You can substitute the peanut butter with any type of crunchy or creamy nut or seed butter.
Heck, go wild and use cookie butter to make epic cookie butter brownies! Or use two-ingredient chocolate almond butter for even more chocolatey-goodness!
And feel free to get creative with your brownies. Mix in additions like chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or even peanut butter chips.
How to Make Peanut Butter Brownies
Here are the simple directions to make this super easy brownie recipe. Get the ingredient measurements and step by step instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with a bit of vegetable oil or butter.
Mix the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla extract.
Mix in the dry ingredients: Add the granulated sugar, all purpose flour, cocoa powder and salt. Stir everything with a spoon just until there are no visible dry ingredients.
Bake: Spread the batter evenly into the greased baking pan. Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool & serve: Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!!
How Best to Store Brownies
Uncut Brownies: Brownies will stay more soft and moist when they're uncut. I recommend to cut out squares as you eat them, and cover the rest of the uncut brownies in the baking dish with plastic cling wrap. It will stay fresh at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
Cut Brownies: Store sliced brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
Freezer: Wrap brownies individually in plastic wrap then in aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Dry Brownies: If you have leftover brownies that do end up getting dry and hard, blend them into an epic brownie milkshake with your favorite ice cream!
Recipe Tips
- Don't overmix your brownie batter, otherwise your brownies could end up tough. Gently mix the batter just until there are no dry flour pockets visible.
- To avoid overbaking your brownies, insert a toothpick into the center to check them. If the toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs but no liquid batter, they're ready to come out of the oven.
- Creamy natural peanut butter tends to be thinner and easier to drizzle on top of your baked brownies than other types of peanut butter.
- You can dollop teaspoons of peanut butter on top of batter and use a toothpick to swirl it around just before baking the brownies for a fun peanut butter swirl design.
How to Make the Best Brownies
Are brownies better with oil or butter?
You can use either oil or butter in brownies, but they provide different textures. Vegetable oil results in a more dense, fudgy brownie. Butter creates a more cakey, fluffy brownie.
What makes a brownie fudgy?
A higher amount of fat creates more fudgy, dense brownies. That's why two forms of fat are added in this fudgy homemade brownie recipe, from both vegetable oil and peanut butter.
What makes a brownie moist?
Vegetable oil and eggs help add moisture to your brownie batter. Have you ever wondered why boxed brownies call for eggs and vegetable oil to be added to the dry ingredients? Now you know - it's to make sure your brownies are moist!
What happens if you overmix brownie batter?
Overmixing brownie batter means you mix it past the point when there is no longer dry flour visible. If you overmix your brownies, they will still taste great. But they may have a more cakey, light texture since the batter will get more air incorporated into it from the extra mixing.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
These chocolate peanut butter brownies are a dream come true for peanut butter lovers. For more delicious dessert recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings, try these!
Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla.
- Add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix everything with a spoon just until there are no visible dry ingredients.
- Spread the batter evenly into the greased baking pan. The batter will be thick.
- Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center has some moist crumbs sticking to it, but no wet batter.Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Don't overmix your brownie batter, otherwise your brownies could end up tough. Gently mix the batter just until there are no dry flour pockets visible.
- To avoid overbaking your brownies, insert a toothpick into the center to check them. If the toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs but no liquid batter, they're ready to come out of the oven.
- Drizzle extra creamy peanut butter on top for a fun look and extra hit of salty flavor to balance the sweet fudgy brownies.
- Creamy natural peanut butter tends to be thinner and easier to drizzle than other types of peanut butter.
Azilde Elizabeth
These look amazing! I have a brownie recipe I want to try. Definitely going to make these! 🤤 PB and chocolate go down well together!
Humbly Homemade
Yes!! Peanut butter + chocolate is the BEST combo! The salty flavor cuts down the sweetness so I end up eating even more. 😅
Azilde Elizabeth
🤤
Aleiafae
They look so delicious!
Humbly Homemade
Thank you, I really appreciate that! 💖
foodinbooks
Nom nom nom! I am normally not a peanut butter-chocolate person - I know, I'm weird - but these look super good. Drooling over here!
Humbly Homemade
Haha! Thank you!! Do you have a favorite flavor to pair with chocolate? Maybe something fruity or spicy instead of salty?
foodinbooks
I personally love chocolate and orange together. It's the perfect combination, IMHO.