These are, by far, the fudgiest homemade brownies in the world!
Ladies and gents, I bring you one of the last recipes of 2012. Today, we have peanut butter and chocolate. Would you expect anything less?
We went to a holiday party the other week and I wanted to bring something along with my homemade funfetti cupcakes. A simple dessert that I knew everyone would love. I bookmarked a mouthwatering homemade brownie recipe a few months ago and instantly knew this was the time to test them out.
To the simple gooey brownie recipe, I added peanut butter chips. Obviously. I can never precisely follow a recipe. I have to “Sally” it. 😉
Homemade brownies may be made with unsweetened cocoa powder or melted solid chocolate. If using cocoa powder, you typically will need more fat in the batter because cocoa powder does not contain the cocoa butter that solid chocolate does. I’ve made brownies both ways.
For years and years, I’ve been making one killer homemade brownie recipe—it’s a large batch brownie recipe using flour, eggs, vanilla extract, butter, and sugar. My original homemade brownies call for melted chocolate. Several of you have made this particular brownie, telling me how chewy, fudgy, and intensely chocolatey they are. I completely agree. I LOVE my homemade brownie recipe!
Today’s brownie recipe makes a smaller batch. It uses the same ingredients: flour, eggs, vanilla extract, butter, and sugar. It calls for cocoa powder. And they’re really, really, really fudgy.
To be honest, I truly do not have a preference over cocoa powder or solid chocolate in a brownie recipe—I mean, it’s chocolate (either in powder form or solid form) mixed with butter. And it tastes GOOD.
Today’s recipe, using cocoa powder, calls for more butter than my homemade brownie recipe AND it makes a smaller batch. You can imagine how dense they are!
Besides the cocoa powder & melted solid chocolate difference, both brownie recipes calls for the same things but in different amounts. Let’s dissect today’s recipe a bit further, shall we?
Today’s brownies are dark, rich, moist, and will leave you screaming for a tall glass of milk. They’ll stick to the roof of your mouth, fill you with an urge for another square, and make you think you’re eating chocolate frosting in solid form. Fact.
The recipe is fairly simple. Begin by melting the butter, sugar, unsweetened cocoa, and salt together. Today’s recipe uses the same amount of sugar that my homemade brownie recipe uses—but today’s recipe makes a smaller batch. Are they *too* sweet? Not at all. Since my original brownie recipe calls for semi-sweet melted chocolate, you’re getting an extra dose of sugar. Today’s smaller brownie recipe, using the unsweetened cocoa powder, needs the extra sugar. Get it? Got it. Good.
I melted those four ingredients together in the microwave. I was feeling particularly lazy, so feel free to use your stovetop instead.
Next, add some more usual brownie suspects—vanilla extract and 2 eggs. Whisk whisk whisk with a wooden spoon. Absolutely NO mixer is required for this recipe! And you can mix it all up in 1 bowl. No extra dishes to dirty, no extra time to waste. Hallelujah!
Slowly stir in the flour. The recipe only calls for 1/2 cup of flour. A brownie’s fudginess directly relates to the amount of flour in the recipe. And with only 1/2 cup of flour in the entire recipe, you can imagine why these babies are so darn rich. They’re like biting into a soft and thick dark chocolate bar. It’s the ultimate chocolate experience.
What on earth could make this insanely rich, thick, and dense brownies even better? Peanut butter. Isn’t that the answer to most of life’s problems? Peanut butter and chocolate to the rescue.
1 cup of peanut butter chips mixed into this brownie batter is the best decision I’ve ever made. I don’t think I have to convince you anymore on that front.
Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes. Mine took about 28 minutes. Bake them the least amount of time as possible. If you want a soft, fudgy, gooey brownie texture, be sure NOT to overbake them. At 25 minutes, test their doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies. Some crumbs may stick to the toothpick when you take it out. If it’s still liquidy, bake for another 3-5 minutes. Do not (not not not!!) go over 30 minutes.
Allowing brownies to cool before cutting into squares is a true test to my patience. I stuck them in the refrigerator to cool quicker—let’s be honest, I have NO patience. I had a party to bring them to and little time to spare. One quick taste test before boxing them up to bring along, I knew I had one brownie winner. It was love at first bite.
I can’t believe how easy these are to make! Easier than any boxed brownie mix I’ve ever tried. I would say that I think these are the *best* brownies I’ve ever had, but I cannot pick favorites. My original homemade version using pure melted chocolate is stellar—the brownies are rich, decadent, dense, and the perfect base for things like peanut butter frosting or crunchy peanuts.
Today’s brownies are… shocker… also rich, decadent, and dense. It’s a smaller batch recipe and each square could easily be mistaken for actual fudge. They’re for the true chocolate lover. I’m happy to say they completely disappeared before my eyes at the holiday party. Even with so many Christmas cookies around!
And I’m even happier to say that I made them again the next day. For obvious reasons…
Print
Ultimate Fudge Brownies with Peanut Butter Chips
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 16 brownies
- Category: Brownies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are, by far, the fudgiest homemade brownies in the world!
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (72g) unsweetened cocoa powder, I used Hershey’s Special Dark
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 cup (180g) peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished brownies out.
- Melt the butter, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl in the microwave. Melt in 30 second increments and stir after each time until the butter is completely melted. The mixture will look gritty. Set aside for a few minutes as you get the other ingredients ready. You don’t want the mixture to be piping hot.
- Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. The batter will be thick and look shiny. Add the flour, beating with a whisk until fully combined. Try not to overmix the batter at this point. Gently fold in the peanut butter chips, leaving a few to sprinkle on top. Pour into prepared baking pan and sprinkle with remaining peanut butter chips.
- Bake for 25 minutes and check the brownies for doneness. Insert a toothpick inserted in the center. If it comes out with only a few crumbs, the brownies are done. Bake for 3-5 minutes if the brownies look too liquidy. Do not bake over 30 minutes.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares. Brownies remain soft and fresh stored in an airtight container for up to 7 days. They won’t last that long, trust me!
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula
- Brownie batter is adapted from Alice Medrich.
I made these peanut butter chip brownies today AND boy were they a hit!
I love these brownies, they are my go to! But they are never ever done at 30 minutes – and they’re barely even done by the 40 minute mark – I usually keep them in the oven until a toothpick comes out semi clean (close to 50 minutes!!!) most times they’re perfectly fudgy, other times they’re still very under baked – please help!
All truth! This are by far the THE BEST brownies I have ever had. Thank you. Will be making for loved ones for years to come!
Love this recipe! I tried making it with caramel in place of peanut butter and that was wonderful too! I also froze it for only a few hours after baking to make slicing easier — made for super sharp, beautiful cubes!
Than you Sally for this delicious recipe. These brownies are decadent! The batch is small but perfectly because they are so rich.
I have made at least 3 your recipes and they always turn out great. Thanks again and keep safe 🙂
Hi Sally! I am planning on making things dry soon (so excited!) would I be able to substitute the flour with coconut flour? I have some on hand and I would like to use it up.
Thanks so much! ☺️
Hi Stephanie, sorry I can’t help here. I haven’t tested this recipe with coconut flour, but I fear the brownies won’t set up properly. Let me know if you try it!
These. Are. FABULOUS! I’ve been in a baking mood during this COVID-19 quarantine, so I went looking for a brownie recipe where I could use up some peanut butter chips I had on hand. I found this recipe on Pinterest and knew it had to be good because it came from your site! I’ve never commented on a recipe before, but I had to for this one! Let me just say that even with a little tweak I had to make, these are seriously delicious! So fudgy and rich. The tweak I had to make was using 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips because that’s all I had available, but honestly, I love the little bits of melted chocolate along with the yummy peanut butter chips. I baked in an 8×8 glass dish for 27 minutes. My boyfriend and I had a couple last night, and they were really good, but I think they are even better this morning! Yes… I had a brownie as an appetizer before breakfast. 😀 Thanks for a great recipe! It’s officially going in my dessert recipe binder.
I just made these brownies and they are so delicious that I had to thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe, Sally! Not only are they the best brownies, but you also provided perfect baking instructions (describing the consistency of the batter at each step, in particular)! Thanks again! 🙂
Hey Sally, baked these once and absolutely loved them. I want to make these again but this time want to serve them straight out of the oven. Can I prepare the batter in advance (say, only a couple of hours before I intend to bake)?
Yep, you can prepare the brownie batter in advance. I’d cover and refrigerate it during that time.
This is my favorite brownie recipe! I was thinking of making them for an Oscar party this weekend and cutting out a bunch of little stars with a cookie cutter. Do you think this recipe would work better or a more cakey brownie?
Such a cute idea! It should work out just fine.
These are THE BEST brownies EVER!!! I make these probably every other month, no lie! I am brownie obsessed and these do not disappoint. I haven’t bought boxed brownie mix in 2 years thanks to this recipe! Thank you!
I made these for the first time today. They were such a hit I had to leave a comment! Perfect recipe! I made them in a brownie pan (11×7) and they came out great! PB and chocolate is my favorite combination and served warm with vanilla ice cream was even better!
Hi Sally! These look scrumptious, and I’m planning on making them as my birthday dessert! 😀 One question, can I use Dutch processed cocoa powder in these brownies? I have both that and regular cocoa powder, but I want to make sure they’re super rich and fudgy.
Hey Ally! You must use regular natural cocoa powder for this brownie recipe.
Hi Sally, I love love your recipes! I tried this one out tonight but it didn’t seem to bake properly. I’m wondering if it was my glass pan? They seemed on the raw side. Any help would be great, thank you!
Hey Kristyna! Sounds like they need to be baked a little longer. Glass pans typically bake items a little quicker than metal pans because they heat extremely quickly. Try baking them until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out practically clean.
Do you think it would be okay to use this recipe in a 9″ x 12″ baking pan instead of an 8″ x 8″? If I do use a 9″ x 12″ should I bake for less time? Thanks Sally!!
Hi Tina! A 9×12 should be ok, but the brownies will be quite thin (8×8 holds 8 cups and 9×12 typically holds about 13 cups). I’m unsure of the exact baking time.
Hi Sally,
I made these last night and they are fantastic. So fudgy and chocolaty! I love them! They will def be in my brownie rotation. I can’t wait for your cookbook. Your blog is my go to guide for my recipes…so a book would be awesome! Thank you so much for all your great ideas. I am a big fan and I love them!!
-Anne
Hey Sally! I LOVE learning from you and reading your posts! Thank you! One question, can you double your homemade brownie recipe and use a 9×13 pan? I know the original calls for the 7×11 pan. If so, how might that change the cooking time? And, have you ever tried baking them at 325 instead of 350? Thanks! Niki
Hi Niki! You may double the recipe to bake in a 9×13 pan. However, I am unsure of the baking time. I do bake these at 325 – 350 is too hot for them to bake evenly.
Hey Sally, I’m in Australia, and they don’t sell peanut butter chips here. Any recommendation on how to get some peanut butter in it without the chips??
Hi Priyanca! I suggest taking 1/2 cup of peanut butter, melting it, and swirling it into the batter after you have poured the batter into the baking dish. Bake for the same amount of time. 🙂 Now that sounds amazing. Let me know how it goes!
I used this receive as a base and used a combo of different mix-ins for it. Absolutely LOVE it! Ever since I found your web page about a month ago, it has become my go to for all my sweets! Thanks for the recipes!