Peanut Butter Brownie Bars Recipe
For a satisfying fix to your sweet tooth, indulge yourself in Peanut Butter Brownie Bars. The friendship between peanut butter and chocolate is hard to beat. So, get out your 13 x 9 baking dish and get ready to bake.
Making this decadent dessert is quick and easy using a boxed brownie mix and a pouch of PB cookie mix. Yes, you can always make the two halves from scratch if that’s your preference. For this recipe, however, we’re taking a short cut.
Every bite has a bit of chocolate from the brownies, the chocolate chips, and the chocolate drizzle. Every bite also has peanut butter from the peanut butter cookies, the peanut butter chips, and the peanut butter drizzle. In addition, every bite is thick and rich with flavor, plus a satisfying chewy texture that makes you want to eat it slowly and just enjoy.
Prepare the 13 x 9 baking dish
Line the dish with foil. This will help you be able to pull out the brownies after they’ve been baked. Also, heavily grease the bottom, so the brownies won’t stick to the foil.
Once baked and cooled, lift the entire brownie by the sides of the foil and set on the counter to be cut into squares.
If you plan on leaving the brownies in the dish, only taking one or two out at a time, you won’t need the foil. I would, however, still heavily grease the bottom so they don’t stick.
Let’s get to it…peanut butter cookies
Starting with the peanut butter cookie pouch, make sure you do NOT follow directions on the package. We’re going to switch it up a bit.
First, mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl (milk, egg, and peanut butter). Then, add in the peanut butter cookie mix. Once this is thoroughly mixed and you’ve scraped the sides, set it aside.
Making chewy fudge brownies
The box of brownie mix; these directions we want to follow. I used a Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownies (brownie mix), but you can use another brand. For the ratio to be somewhat the same, however, try to aim for a “family size” box of brownie mix, or one that fits in a 13 x 9 baking dish.
Mix the eggs, water, and oil together, then add the brownie mix. Stir and scrape the sides of the bowl until it’s thoroughly mixed together.
Add in some of the chocolate/peanut butter baking chips, 3/4 of a cup to be exact. Once stirred into the brownie mix, pour it into the prepared baking dish.
Drop the peanut butter cookie mix evenly across the top of the brownie mix in dollops. See the picture above. It doesn’t have to be the same pattern. Also, the peanut butter cookie dollops will be higher than the brownie batter, but that all flattens out with the heat of the oven.
Then sprinkle on more chocolate/peanut butter chips before putting into the preheated oven set at 350°.
Bake for approx. 45 – 50 minutes. The “clean toothpick” test doesn’t always work on this dessert, because you might pierce a chocolate chip, but that doesn’t mean it’s not done. Either go with the timer, or use the toothpick, but poke it in a few different spots.
Making chocolate and peanut butter drizzles
The chocolate drizzle is easy, it only has one ingredient.
Take about 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or other chocolate chips like dark, milk, bitter, etc.) and melt them in a small microwave safe bowl. Start by microwaving them for 30 seconds, then stir. They’ll probably still be hard, if not a little sticky to stir. Keep microwaving in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until melted.
Pour the melted chocolate into a baggie. Seal the baggie and twist right above the chocolate. Now make a tiny snip in one of the corners and drizzle the chocolate over the top of the Peanut Butter Brownie Bars
For the peanut butter drizzle, there are three ingredients. Mix the water, powdered sugar, and creamy peanut butter together. I say creamy, because chunky peanut butter doesn’t drizzle out a tiny hole cut into a baggie. lol
Same as for the chocolate drizzle, pour the peanut butter mixture into a baggie, seal it, and cut a tiny hole in one of the corners. Drizzle over the top of the bars, and there you have it. Cut them into squares and take a bite. In fact, take two, you deserve it.
Peanut Butter Brownie Bars
Materials
For PB Cookie mix:
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup peanut butter, (creamy or chunky)
- 1 pouch (17.5 oz.) peanut butter cookie mix
For Brownies:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 box (18.3 oz.) Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge brownie mix
- 1 cup milk chocolate and peanut butter flavored baking chips, divided
For Drizzles: (2)
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
- 2 tsp. water
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. peanut butter, (creamy only)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line 13 x 9 baking dish with foil and heavily grease bottom.
For PB Cookie mix: (Do NOT follow instructions on package.)
- In large bowl, mix milk, egg, and peanut butter, then add cookie mix. Thoroughly mix and set aside. Batter will be thick.
For Brownies: (This time, follow instructions on box.)
- In large bowl, mix water, oil, and eggs. Add brownie mix. Scrape sides and thoroughly mix.
- Stir in 3/4 cup baking chips to brownie mixture. Pour into baking dish.
- Using 2 spoons, drop peanut butter mixture by dollops evenly across the brown mixture. Top with remaining 1/3 cup baking chips.
- Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
For Drizzles:
- Chocolate: Melt chocolate in microwave safe dish for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat in 15 second intervals until melted. Pour into baggie and seal. Snip tiny tip off corner and drizzle over cooled PB Brownie Bars.
- Peanut Butter: In small bowl, thoroughly mix water, powdered sugar, and creamy peanut butter. Pour into baggie and seal. Snip tiny tip off corner and drizzle over cooled PB Brownie Bars. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Peanut Butter Brownie Bars options
If you prefer baking from scratch, and sometimes I do, too, try my Chewy Gooey Walnut Brownies recipe. That would be great for this recipe instead of a boxed brownie mix, and you can decide on keeping the walnuts or not.
When baking for a crowd, here are two of my top rated 13 x 9 desserts. Check out this No Bake Lemon Blueberry Dessert and my Sugar Cookie Lemonade Crumble.
I’d love for you to leave a comment and rate my recipes. Sharing these recipes is great fun, and hearing from my readers is the best. Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day.
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