I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me they don’t like chocolate, I lose a little bit of trust for them… I love chocolate! If I am craving a dessert, 9 times out of 10 I am reaching for chocolate and when it comes to brownies, the more dense and fudgy, the better!
These brownies are ultra moist, dense and fudgy as heck! Topped with a thin layer of peanut butter then sprinkled with flaky salt, they are incredibly irresistible. They’re rich as all get out, but you will keep going back for more.
How do we mix these up?
These brownies are super easy to whip up, all you need is one Mixing Bowl, a Whisk and a Spatula.
A couple of tips when making these brownies:
- Whip your eggs with your sugar using a whisk. You want to whip these together by hand until they’re light in color and you can see little air bubbles incorporated in. This step is going to be the only leavening agent in the mix so getting air whipped in is essential.
- Be sure to sift your cocoa powder and flour, no lumps here!
- Using a combination of butter and oil ensures that your brownies will be flavorful AND moist.
- Bake the brownies according to the time on the recipe. They will seem soft, which is true! It is better to underbake rather than overbake.
- After the initial 50 minutes, dollop your peanut butter in a few places and put back in the oven to melt. This way you can spread the peanut butter without tearing the soft top.
- Be sure to let them rest for at least an hour before cutting in to make sure you have slices rather than brownie soup.
- Use an 8×8 Baking Dish to get thick, dense brownies.
What makes these so special?
You may be asking yourself, so what makes these brownies different than any other recipe I’ve made? These brownies are extra special for a few reasons. The first reason is there is no chemical leavener in them so they are extra dense, whipping the eggs and sugar is the only action that incorporates any air into the mixture so it’s important to whip them. The second thing that makes these brownies so special is the mixture of oil and butter. I find all butter brownies to be a little more dry, but all oil brownies lack depth and flavor that you get from butter. By using a combination of both butter and oil, you get a beautiful, glistening, moist brownie that is also richly packed with flavor. My favorite thing that makes these brownies special is a sprinkling of Maldon Salt. The final thing that makes these brownies extra special is the inclusion of instant coffee. I know this isn’t a new development in the culinary world, but it really does make a huge difference in flavor. The small bit of coffee flavor accentuates the chocolate in such a way that it makes it seem darker and richer and more chocolatey than you would be able to achieve without.
I hope you enjoy, these are one of our new favorite desserts to have during the week and they are so fun to share!
Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ cup oil
- 1¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp espresso powder/ instant coffee
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup peanut butter crunchy or smooth
- pinch flaky salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F
- In a mixing bowl with a whisk, whip your eggs and sugars together until light and airy about 5 minutes. You should be able to see little air bubbles in the mixture.
- Add in the melted butter, oil, espresso powder or instant coffee, and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Next, sift into the bowl the cocoa powder, flour, and salt. mix until just combined, don't overmix the batter.
- Grease an 8×8 baking dish with a little bit of butter or cooking spray. Put the mixture into your greased dish and bake for 50 minutes.
- Pull your brownies out after 50 minutes and scoop the peanut butter in several little bits over the top. I usually separate it into 5 scoops. Place back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
- Pull your brownies out, the peanut butter should be nice and melty, spread the peanut butter evenly over the top of the brownies and sprinkle with flaky salt while it is still hot.
- Allow to cool for at least an hour before cutting in, I know its hard but it will be brownie soup if you don't wait.
- Cut into 12 pieces and enjoy!
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