Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies

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

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bar, brownie, chocolate, peanut butter, peanuts, Rice Krispie

Category Bars, Brownies

Baking Ambition Confident

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Cooling/Chilling Time 1

Total Time 2

Servings brownie

Calories 275kcal

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper. (Or line the pan with non-stick foil)

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
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
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
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
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.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes.
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

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
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
Refrigerate for 2 hours. Slice into 24 large or 40 small bars to serve.

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.