The best of two worlds collide in these Peanut Butter Brookies (or, Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies). They're chewy, chocolatey, rich, and feed a crowd.
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Make a fun and easy dessert recipe at home with the kids with this Peanut Butter Brookie Recipe (or, Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies). It's a brownie bar recipe-- part peanut butter cookie chewiness, part brownie goodness. If you're craving something sweet, these brookies one of my favorite chocolate dessert recipes. They're so satisfying!
As I wrote last week, brownies are my jam right now. There hasn't been a time since late January that I haven't had some form of brownie in the freezer.
And, as things started to escalate rather quickly last week with the social distancing and sheltering in place, I started to feel more and more like I just wanted to crawl in a hole for a bit and pray that everything would be better when I came back out again.
Unfortunately, things haven't gotten better (yet!) but I know they will. It's just a matter of time and patience -- with ourselves, the virus, and others.
And in the meantime, I'll be doing like I did last Friday -- when, instead of crawling in a hole I decided to carve some time out of my afternoon to make these Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies (or, Peanut Butter Brookies!).
Not only did I get some quiet time alone with myself to be with my thoughts and work out my feelings, but I had an end result that reminded me of those few moments of peace I had while baking them.
I also had a treat to enjoy in the days to come that tasted nothing like I might later feel, and so I popped them in the freezer to enjoy for weeks to come.
I hope you, too, find some peace and hope in these times. Whether it's through baking these bad boys, getting on the trails, face-timing with friends, or catching up on movies or books, may we have and find the coping skills to not only survive but thrive, in these unique times.
These Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies Are...
- Chewy
- Chocolatey
- Fudgy
- Thick
- Rich
- Comforting
- 100% Satisfying
Brownies were already pretty much the pinnacle of baked good perfection, but now we're taking them to new heights. The chewiness of peanut butter cookies meets the fudginess of brownies for a treat that just can't be beat.
How do you make these brookies?
Can you freeze brookies?
Yes, you most certainly can freeze brookies! Just make sure to cool the brookie completely before cutting into squares. Then freeze them in a freezer-safe and airtight container for up to 2 months.
What are brookies?
Brookies are a baked good dropped from the heavens! They're a bar cookie that's part brownie, part cookie. In this recipe, they're part peanut butter cookie, making them peanut butter brownie cookies.
How do you make brookies from scratch?
You make brookie from scratch by first making the cookie dough, then making the brownie dough, and then layering them into a baking pan and baking them! Follow the recipe below for the specific measurements and directions but here's a brief overview for you.
First, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugar together with a mixer. Then add in the egg, vanilla, flour, and other dry ingredients. Once the mixture forms a nice and crumbly dough, it is all set
Second, we'll get the brownies together. Melt butter and chocolate chips together. Then whisk in eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Once they're incorporated, whisk in cocoa powder, flour, and other dry ingredients until they're mixed in thoroughly. Finally, fold in chocolate chips and the brownie batter will be ready to go as well.
Third, we'll assemble the brookies. In a parchment paper-lined baking pan, scatter in the peanut butter cookie dough and dollops on the brownie batter. Then, lightly pat the batter down to fill in any of the space between the batter in the baking pan.
Fourth, bake the peanut butter brownie cookies at 350 degrees for 33-35 minutes, or until the peanut butter cookie chunks turn golden around the outside. Remove the brookies from the oven, let cool at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours, or until cool to the touch, and then remove from the pan and serve! Pro-tip: you don't want to skip on cooling time here. The brookies firm up and stick together once they're cool. Otherwise, they will crumble as you serve them if they're still hot.
More dessert recipes:
- Chocolate Hazelnut Fudgy Bonbons
- Chocolate Coconut Bars
- High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Fudgy Date Brownies
- High Altitude Sugar Cookies
- Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies
- Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie
- Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- Edible Brownie Batter
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Peanut Butter Brookies (Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies)
Why have to decide between cookies and brownies when you can have both in these Peanut Butter Brookies (or, Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies)?! They take a few steps, but the steps are surprisingly easy... and the end result is totally worth it!
Just make sure to melt your chocolate chips in the microwave at 40% heat. If you go full strength you risk burning and ruining your chocolate.
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookie Batter
- ¼ c. unsalted butter, softened/brought to room temperature
- ½ cup natural peanut butter, brought to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Brownie Batter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into ½" chunks
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 2 jumbo eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9 x 13" baking pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper.
Make the peanut butter cookie dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and granulated sugar on medium speed, until it's a light tan mixture or for about 30 seconds.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the egg and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 30-45 more seconds, or until the mixture is creamy.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together with a fork until the powder and salt are worked in.
- Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in the mixer and run on low speed for 20-30 seconds, or until the flour starts to absorb into the creamed mix and there are no more streaks of flour in the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and run another 20-30 seconds, or until the flour is thick and forms large crumbles.
Make the brownie batter:
- Combine the unsalted butter cubes and ½ cup chocolate chips in a medium to a large size mixing bowl. Heat in the microwave at 40% heat in 30-second intervals for 1.5-2 minutes, stirring between intervals, or until the mixture is fully melted, glossy, and the chocolate incorporates into the butter.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar to the chocolate mixture and whisk them in until the eggs are fully worked in, for about 15-20 seconds.
- Add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt to the chocolate batter and whisk in rigorously for 30-45 seconds, or until no streaks of flour or cocoa remain and the batter is getting thick.
- Gently fold in the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips into the batter.
Assemble the brookies:
- Scatter large (~2 tablespoons) chunks of half of peanut butter cookie dough over the bottom of the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Drop about 2 tablespoon dollops of half of the brownie batter between the cookie batter.
- Scatter a second layer of the dough and batter on, trying to scatter peanut butter cookie dough on top of the previous layer of brownie batter and brownie batter on the previous layer of cookie dough.
- Gently pat the dough into place to push the dough and batter into any empty spaces in the pan.
- Bake the brookies for 33-35 minutes, or until the peanut butter cookie chunks around the edge are golden.
- Let the pan of brookies cool on a cooling rack for 1-2 hours, or until the brookies stick together when you scoop them out (if you try to serve them before they're done cooling they will crumble a bit. Once they're cooled, though, they won't crumble).
Notes
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for 4-5 days or can be frozen for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container.
For best results, use whole wheat flour. You can substitute in 1-to-1 gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour, but I haven't tried it so I can't guarantee it.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 287Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 46mgSodium 181mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 3gSugar 25gProtein 5g
This nutrition breakdown is just an estimate of the nutritional value of this recipe and cannot be taken as facts. The owners of Mae's Menu are not nutritionists or dieticians and therefore cannot be held accountable for this nutrition estimate. Please contact your nutritionist or medical professional for a nutritional breakdown of this food. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
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