Frosted Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies —These are the fudgiest, densest, richest brownies you’ll ever bite into, and they’re so easy to make! The peanut butter frosting takes them over the top!
Fudgiest Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
If you’re a fan of fudgy, rich, dense brownies, these are for you. And if you’re a peanut butter fan, even better.
If you like cakey or dry brownies, move on. These moist fudge bombs won’t be your thing.
The brownies are beyond rich and moist. Dark, intense, and they’re uber-fudgy with zero cakiness.
I like cakes, and I like brownies. But no cake in my brownies.
The edges have a bit of chewiness and the center is tender, soft, and the perfect fudgy texture for leaving teeth marks. Chomp.
The peanut butter frosting is velvety smooth and the perfect complement to the brownies. It’s sweet; the way all frosting should be, but the natural saltiness of the peanut butter cuts some of the sweet.
Chocolate and peanut butter is one of the best flavor combinations on earth. I never tire of it!
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
To make the fudgy brownies, you’ll need:
- Semi-sweet or dark chocolate
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Brewed coffee
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
For the peanut butter frosting:
- Creamy peanut butter
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Salt
How to Make Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
The brownies are so fast and simple to make, and they’re as easy as using a boxed mix, but taste infinitely better.
These peanut butter fudge brownies are made in one bowl and the batter comes together with a whisk in minutes. You don’t need to drag out a mixer or dirty anything other than one bowl.
How to make fudge brownies:
- Combine butter and your favorite dark or bittersweet chocolate and melt them together in the microwave.
- Stir in sugar, eggs, a splash of espresso or coffee if you’d like, a dash of vanilla, and flour.
- Pour the batter into a 9×9-inch pan and bake for about 30 minutes. The center should be set, not jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean. Don’t over-bake because you want to keep these fudgy.
Tip
Before stirring in the eggs and flour, the batter is very granular, and that’s normal.
How to make peanut butter frosting for brownies:
While the brownies are cooling, make the peanut butter buttercream.
- Combine peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed to soften and blend.
- Incorporate the vanilla, salt, and confectioners’ sugar. Start with 1 1/2 cups at first, and work you way up to about 2 cups.
- Once the brownies have cooled, top with frosting.
- Then add sprinkles or non-pareils. I used Trader Joe’s cocoa beads. They love to bounce around, and days later, I’m still stepping on them.
- Enjoy!
FAQs
I like to add a couple tablespoons of previously brewed coffee because it brings out and enhances the flavor of the chocolate. I promise it doesn’t make the finished brownies taste like coffee. However, you may omit if desired.
I don’t bother sifting first, but some people are sifting sticklers. I’m not one of those people and let my stand mixer do the work for me.
To make the peanut butter icing for the brownies, do NOT use a natural peanut butter. The oil may want to separate a few hours later, and the frosting turns into a broken mess.
The good old-fashioned stuff (like Jif or Skippy) really is my preference because it whips, blends, bakes, fluffs into, and just produces a better-textured finished product.
No! The peanut butter flavor is very pronounced in the icing, but if you prefer traditional vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting, both are lovely on these brownies if for some crazy reason you don’t like peanut butter or frosting.
However, I cannot relate. I wrote a cookbook with 100 recipes that use peanut butter.
Tips for Making Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
After adding the flour, don’t overmix the batter or that will cause gluten development, which results in tougher and cakier brownies.
I use 2 cups of powdered sugar in the icing because I like it to be thicker, denser, and not quite as fluffy for the brownies as I would use on a cupcake. Use more or less as desired.
Make sure the brownies have fully cooled so they don’t melt the frosting.
Sprinkles are optional, but not really. Not for me anyway.
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Frosted Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownies
- 6 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate or dark chocolate, chopped coarsely (such as Baker’s brand semi-sweet chocolate, or I use a 72% Pound Plus Bar from Trader Joe’s)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 sticks
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons espresso or brewed coffee, any temperature; optional but recommended
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, I recommend Jif or Skippy, not a fancy high-end or natural peanut butter because they separate and your frosting results could be compromised
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ to 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- sprinkles, optional
Instructions
For the Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-by-9-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and chocolate and heat on high power to melt, about 60 to 90 seconds. Stop to sir, and heat in 10-second bursts until the mixture has melted and can be stirred smooth.
- Add the sugars and whisk to combine; batter will seem granular.
- Add the optional coffee, vanilla, and whisk to incorporate.
- Add the eggs and whisk vigorously to incorporate. Stir in the flour, optional salt, stirring until just incorporated; don’t overmix.
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, or until center is just set and not jiggly, edges have pulled away slightly from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. My perfect baking time is about 28 minutes based on my oven and climate (dry). Keep these gooey and don’t overbake; brownies will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before frosting them or before slicing and serving.
For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Combine peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed to soften and blend, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, optional salt (cuts some of the sweetness), and beat to incorporate and until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- Add more confectioners’ sugar based on desired thickness (I use 2 cups so frosting is thicker and more paste-like).
- Frost the brownies, add optional sprinkles, slice, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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great
These came out soooo good. Yum. My husband is addicted to the frosting. The brownie is perfectly fudgy and chocolatey. Super excited about these.
These came out soooo good. Yum. My husband is addicted to the frosting. The brownie is perfectly fudgy and chocolatey. Super excited about these.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they came out great!