Peanut Butter Brownies is an easy recipe for homemade brownies that combines a fudgy brownie with peanut butter cup candy topped with a decadent homemade peanut butter buttercream frosting!
If you love brownies and you love peanut butter and you love chocolate peanut butter cup candy then hold on to your seat because these reese cup brownies are going to blow you away!
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Peanut Butter Brownies
Rich chocolate homemade brownies studded with chunks of peanut butter cup candy are baked to perfection and topped with a creamy peanut butter buttercream frosting.
But that's not all! Top that homemade buttercream frosting with more chunks of peanut butter cup candy and then drizzle with hot fudge topping and peanut butter!
Yes, please!
I'm sitting down for this dessert! Our Peanut Butter Brownies call for a celebration!
And if you're obsessed with brownies like I am, our red velvet brownies, thin mint brownies and brownies with almonds, are sure to please!
We have lots more easy dessert recipes for you here at Swirls too!
Be sure to visit the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's kitchen recommendations!
How to make peanut butter brownies with peanut butter frosting
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- For the brownies: In bowl combine melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla until blended.
- Stir in flour, cocoa powder and salt until a batter forms. Cut 20 peanut butter cups into quarters and stir into batter.
- Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs and edges of brownie pull away from sides of pan. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift brownie out of pan and cool on wire rack.
- For the frosting: In bowl combine softened butter and 6 Tablespoons peanut butter until blended. Stir in confectioners’ sugar until a creamy frosting forms. Spread frosting over top of cooled brownie.
- Cut remaining peanut butter cups into quarters and arrange over frosting. Drizzle with hot fudge topping and remaining 2 Tablespoons peanut butter.
- Cut into 16 pieces.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Change up the recipe and stir any of the following into the batter before baking:
- chocolate chips
- chopped peanut M&M candy
- M&M candy
- mini chocolate chips
- Mini M&M candy
- Peanuts
- Top uncooked brownie batter with dollops of peanut butter and then bake
- Drizzle with both hot fudge sauce and melted peanut butter
Substitutions
- Drizzle with melted peanut butter in place of the hot fudge
- Short on time? Top a store-bought brownie from the bakery with homemade frosting
- Substitute a boxed brownie mix for the homemade brownie
Ingredients
Ingredients for peanut butter cup brownies
- butter
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- salt
- peanut butter cups miniatures
- creamy peanut butter
- confectioners’ sugar
- hot fudge topping
Homemade Brownie Recipes
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Our Gooey S'mores Brownies take s'mores to another level. To make this s'mores recipe with marshmallow fluff, graham crackers are baked into brownies and then topped with chocolate bars and marshmallow fluff creating a melty gooey chocolate marshmallow topping with mini marshmallows on top!
Espresso Brownies with Kahlua Ganache is a homemade brownie recipe of rich, fudgy, decadent, intense brownies topped with a silky Kahlua chocolate buttercream frosting. Top with conversation heart candy for an amazing Valentine's Day dessert.
Chipotle Brownies is an easy homemade brownie recipe for the chocolate lovers in your life. With a creamy chocolate ganache on top and a hint of spice inside Chipotle Brownies will be the grand finale at your Cinco de Mayo fiesta or any fiesta!
Magic Bar Brownies are intensely chocolate brownies topped with the ingredients of a Magic Bar and all baked together to make an irresistible dessert! It’s ooey, gooey, nutty and fudgy all at the same time!
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies Recipe
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Ingredients
Brownie:
- 12 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 package (12 ounces) peanut butter cups miniatures, unwrapped , divided
Topping:
- 16 Tablespoons 2 sticks butter , softened to same creamy consistency as peanut butter
- 8 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter , divided
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons hot fudge topping
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch x 9-inch baking pan with foil leaving 2-inch overhang. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Brownie:
- In bowl combine melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla until blended.
- Stir in flour, cocoa powder and salt until a batter forms. Cut 20 peanut butter cups into quarters and stir into batter.
- Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs and edges of brownie pull away from sides of pan. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift brownie out of pan and cool on wire rack.
Topping:
- In bowl combine softened butter and 6 Tablespoons peanut butter until blended. Stir in confectioners’ sugar until a creamy frosting forms. Spread frosting over top of cooled brownie.
- Cut remaining peanut butter cups into quarters and arrange over frosting. Drizzle with hot fudge topping and remaining 2 Tablespoons peanut butter.
- Cut into 16 pieces.
Notes
- Change up the recipe and stir any of the following into the batter before baking:
- chocolate chips
- chopped peanut M&M candy
- M&M candy
- mini chocolate chips
- Mini M&M candy
- Peanuts
- Top uncooked brownie batter with dollops of peanut butter and then bake
- Drizzle with both hot fudge and melted peanut butter
- Drizzle with melted peanut butter in place of the hot fudge
- Short on time? Top a store-bought brownie from the bakery with the homemade frosting
- Substitute a boxed brownie mix for the homemade brownie
Hi Gwynn,
I can't wait to make these but I have a couple of questions first. Have you tried making these in a 9*13 pan? I would prefer to use that if possible. Second, the last step on applying the topping, I am assuming you melt the hot fudge topping and the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter fore drizzling. I am going to be making these in a couple of weeks and I will let you know how they turned out.
Thank you so much!
Hi Randy, I have not tried to make this recipe in a 9 x 13 pan. You will get a much thinner brownie when you change to a larger size pan. If you are fine with that then I would also recommend reducing the baking time by at least 5 minutes. For this recipe I actually put the hot fudge topping and peanut butter in disposable pastry bags and drizzled them that way without having to melt them. You can also use a plastic ziplock bag and snip off a corner to easily drizzle. The other option would be, as you mention, to heat the fudge and peanut butter so they loosen up a bit and are easier to drizzle. Hope all of that helps! Looking forward to hearing how your brownies turn out. And thank you so much for stopping by Swirls Randy! Happy baking, Gwynn