Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies

This is another recipe from “before”. If you perused my site in one of its previous incarnations, you probably noticed that I have a bit of a weakness for brownies – from simple to over-the-top-extravagant, as long as they are dense, fudgy chocolate perfection,  I’m in love.

These brownies take the classic pairing of chocolate and peanut butter and add a crispy, crunchy layer that contrasts beautifully with the soft fudgy  brownie base.

Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies

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A rich, fudgy brownie meets a salty‑sweet chocolate‑PB crisped‑rice layer for the perfect nostalgic crunch.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Cooling/Chilling Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Servings: 40 brownie

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 275

Equipment Ingredients Method Notes Nutrition

Equipment

• ▢
  baking pan 9"x13"
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  measuring spoons
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  measuring cups
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  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.kitchen scale
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  medium bowl
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  double boiler or large heat safe bowl and saucepan
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  whisk
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  rubber spatula
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  medium saucepan

Ingredients

  

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For the brownie layer:

• ▢ 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cocoa powder dark, unsweetened
• ▢ 11 ounce dark chocolate coarsely chopped
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter cut into 1 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• ▢ 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup light brown sugar packed
• ▢ 5 eggs room temperature
• ▢ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup salted peanuts
• ▢ 10 ounce peanut butter cups mini or chopped

For the crunch layer:

• ▢ 1 ¼ cup chocolate chips semisweet or bittersweet
• ▢ 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup Rice Krispies cereal

Method

 

Cook Mode Cook Mode

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper. (Or line the pan with non-stick foil)

To make the brownies:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
   1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
2. Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.
   11 ounce dark chocolate, 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
3. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
   1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar
4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
   5 eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the peanuts and peanut butter cups over the top of the brownies. Return to the oven and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until the brownies are done. Remove from the oven and set aside.
   3/4 cup salted peanuts, 10 ounce peanut butter cups

To make the crunch layer:

1. Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat until completely smooth.
   1 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup creamy peanut butter
2. Stir in the cereal until evenly coated. Immediately pour the mixture over the top of the brownies and spread in an even layer.
   1 1/4 cup Rice Krispies cereal
3. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Slice into 24 large or 40 small bars to serve.

Notes

• Optional Variation:
  • If you want to punch up the peanut butter flavor, swirl 1 cup (256g) of peanut butter into the surface of brownie batter before baking.
    • Dollop small spoonsful over the surface, or put the peanut butter in a piping bag (or zip top bag with the corner snipped off) and pipe parallel lines over the surface.
    • Use a butter knife to drag through the brownie batter and peanut butter to create a swirl effect.  

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Nutrition

Serving: 1brownieCalories: 275kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 139mgPotassium: 178mgFiber: 2gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 240IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg

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