Peanut Butter Layered Brownies
Peanut Butter Layered Brownies
Last weekend we went camping and I wanted to bake some treats to bring to share with our crew. I was also fairly busy with packing and camping prep. So when I found this recipe, which used a brownie mix but suggested using a home recipe for brownies if preferred, I definitely went with the mix to save time. I then questioned whether I should post this recipe or not, because I felt like using a mix wasn’t the most creative thing to write about. But I think these are my favourite brownies I’ve ever made.
INGREDIENTS
Brownies
Oil spray, margarine or butter
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup butter
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Filling
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural kind)
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
YIELD
25 small brownies
TIME
Prep - 20 minutes
Bake - 35 minutes
TOOLS
9-inch square pan
3 bowls, 1 large and 2 medium
Small saucepan
Stand or hand mixer
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray or butter a 9-inch square pan. Set aside.
First make the brownie mix:
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in cocoa powder.
Let cool for 5 minutes and pour into a large bowl. Using a stand or hand mixer, blend in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients to the wet, 1/3 at a time. Mix until just combined.
Stir in chopped peanuts. Set aside.
Next make peanut butter filling:
In a medium bowl mix peanut butter and condensed milk.
Assemble the bars:
Pour half the brownie batter into your prepared pan. Spread evenly and slam on the counter a few times to ensure your bottom layer is evenly distributed.
Scoop out blobs of the peanut butter filling all over the bottom layer of brownies. It will be hard to spread out so go slowly and use a spatula. Try to cover the entire bottom layer evenly, but if there are a few gaps that’s okay because it will spread out a bit when you cook. It’s most important to ensure the layer is as flat as you can make it.
Pour the second half of the brownie mix on top. Smooth out top with a clean spatula.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before cutting with a sharp knife.
Recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups.
ADAPTATIONS
I originally posted this using boxed brownie mix. I updated it to use my go-to brownies from scratch recipe, but if you’re short on time or just want to make things easier on yourself, use boxed brownies! I think they are delicious.
