These Ultimate Peanut Butter Brownies are a dense and fudgy brownie, with a peanut butter filling, chocolate ganache and finished off with chopped peanuts and peanut butter candies.
Is it too late for another Halloween recipe? With Halloween less than a week away, it seems like all the morning news/talk shows and blogs have moved away from Halloween décor and treats and are now focusing on “last minute” Halloween costume ideas, fun local events, and leftover Halloween candy recipes.
I’ve always chuckled at the idea of Leftover Halloween Candy recipes. I mean, say you did have leftover Halloween candy, wouldn’t you just eat a piece or two and put the rest away to ration out as a small sweet treat every once in a while over the next few weeks? Or save it all for a Thanksgiving or Christmas recipe, since after all, once out of the package and chopped and mixed into a dessert no one will know whether it came with a Halloween or Christmas wrapper. I mean, that is unless you are trying to pass off candy corn as a Christmas candy and then everyone WILL know your little secret.
I guess what I am saying, is I’ve never really had the “leftover Halloween Candy” problem since I have always lived in neighborhoods that didn’t have a lot of kids trick-or-treating and/or never really passed out candy because we always had other plans that night.
But when I have passed out candy, I never seem to have any leftover candy as I only buy a small bag or two of candy and it either gets passed out or consumed by us and/or friends in the days leading up to Halloween night. And since we don’t have any kiddos trick-or-treating, we don’t have the problem of bringing home extra candy.
I guess though, IF you did have leftover Halloween candy, either from your Halloween candy bowl or your kid’s trick-or-treating stash, you MAY want to use some of that candy in an over the top dessert to treat yo self and to share with neighbors or co-workers, since everyone probably hasn’t had enough candy and treats over the past few weeks. 😉
These Ultimate Peanut Butter Brownies are definitely an ultimate chocolate peanut butter dessert and use “leftover” candy, but are a treat you could make and enjoy year round! And while the chocolate peanut butter candies on top add extra chocolate peanut butter goodness and crunch, you could leave them off if you don’t have any on hand or substitute any chocolate peanut/peanut butter candy you wish.
In addition to being topped with chopped peanuts and chocolate peanut butter candies, I love this Ultimate Peanut Butter Brownie recipe because the peanut butter isn’t mixed into the brownie batter. It is its own individual layer of creamy peanut butter goodness that is then drenched in a homemade chocolate ganache.
Yup, these brownies are for my fellow chocolate/peanut butter fans and will totally knock your socks off!
- Brownies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter cubed
- 1 8-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- -
- Peanut Butter Filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- -
- Chocolate Ganache:
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanut or peanut butter chocolate candies roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts roughly chopped
- For the brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving enough paper to overhang on all sides. Set aside.
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter and chopped chocolate over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes or until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
- Once cooled, whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the melted chocolate mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla.
- Gently stir in the flour mixture, stirring just until fully combined. Pour brownie batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, lift the brownies out of the pan by pulling up on the overhanging foil. Place brownies on a large baking sheet or cutting board, carefully pulling away the foil; set aside.
- For the peanut butter filling: In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter until smooth and creamy. Add peanut butter and beat until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla; beating until smooth and creamy.
- Using an offset spatula or knife, spread peanut butter filling in an even layer over prepared brownies on cutting board. Place peanut butter covered brownies in the refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- For the chocolate ganache: Place chocolate chips in a medium-sized heat proof bowl.
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is smooth. Allow chocolate glaze cool to room temperature, for about 10-15 minutes.
- Pour the cooled chocolate ganache over the chilled peanut butter topped brownies. Using an offset spatula or knife, carefully spread the chocolate ganache evenly over the top of the peanut butter layer.
- Sprinkle the top of the chocolate covered brownies with the chopped peanut butter chocolate candies and peanuts. Return brownies to refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Once chilled, use a large sharp knife to cut brownies into 24 pieces, wiping the knife with a clean paper towel in between cuts. Serve brownies immediately or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe times don’t include the 4.5 hour total chill time.
Adapted from Sally’s Candy Addiction: Tasty Truffles, Fudges & Treats for Your Sweet-Tooth Fix
Other chocolate peanut butter recipes you might enjoy:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Donuts
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