Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Jim and Pam. William and Kate. Gomez and Morticia.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

Classic pairings. The ones that go together. Always. You know without even making these that they're going to be delish. (But, please go ahead and make them.)

I've gotta tell ya...these are the fudgy brownie variety. No cakey brownies at our house. This is the baking hill I'm willing to die on. That and tres leches cake should be outlawed.

Oh! And as the name implies, there are mini peanut butter cups hiding throughout. These are rich x 1,000. So rich that you don't need to scarf two in one sitting. You will, though. It's ok.

My biggest tip for cutting brownies is it's best done with a bench scraper. Cut straight down; none of that back-and-forth with a knife jaggedly tearing up the brownies.

If you line your pan with foil, you can lift the pan of brownies straight out. Once cut, pop them out of the foil or pan with a mini spatula if you have one.

*these photos were originally shared on my post about bench scrapers on The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

For the swirl:
3 TBSP salted butter, melted
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup smooth (not all-natural) peanut butter
2 TBSP unbleached, all-purpose flour


For the brownies:
3/4 cup salted butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup packed Light Brown Sugar
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
24 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 325.  Line a 9x13" pan with foil and grease.

Make the peanut butter swirl. Pour the melted butter into a medium bowl. Sift in the powdered sugar. Add the salt. Stir until combined. Add the peanut butter and flour and stir until smooth. Set aside.

Make the brownies. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugars and heat while stirring until hot to the touch, but not bubbling.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and baking powder. Let Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Stir in the flour. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Spread 1/2 of the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Place the peanut butter cups in six rows of 4. Pour the remaining batter as evenly as possible across the top. Dollop the peanut butter swirl on top. Lightly swirl into the brownie batter with an offset spatula, taking care not to disturb the peanut butter cups. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The brownies will be set, and the peanut butter swirl may be slightly tacky. It will set up as it cools.

Remove the brownies from the oven, place on a wire rack, and let cool completely in the pan. Cut the brownies using a bench scraper.

Are peanut butter and chocolate one of your favorite couples?