These peanut butter cup brownies are dairy-free, 100% whole grain and are super gooey and rich!
Everyone’s stuffing things these days and I wanted to get in on the action. I took my brownie recipe and my peanut butter cup recipe and put ‘em together. It was a really, really good idea! Fantastic even. I don’t remember ever being this excited to post something!
So. These peanut butter cup brownies look kind of boring without the chocolate on top. And they have a weird shiny (not but greasy!) surface. They definitely don’t need more chocolate on top, but I like things to be pretty. And they’re just more fun when they’re oozing chocolate.
They’re nice and gooey but if you decide to leave out the peanut butter filling, I don’t know how they’d be. I imagine that they rely on the sweetness and gooiness of the filling, but that’s just my feeling. So don’t do it, okay?! We need the peanut butter!
If you want, you could use another type of nut butter. Natural nut butter, though and nothing with added oil or sugar! That means no Nutella. ;) This homemade chocolate hazelnut butter would probably be amazing, though.
I tried making these peanut butter cup brownies with honey in the batter but they weren’t as good. And if you’re tempted to reduce the sugar – I wouldn’t. The texture needs the sugar for the gooiness. Less sugar = more cakey. And that’s not what we’re going for here!
I haven’t tried it but I’m pretty sure coconut oil would be fine instead of the olive and canola oil in the brownies. Just remember that refined coconut oil doesn’t have any coconut flavor and unrefined might result in a slight coconut-y taste.
So what other types of brownies do I need to healthify? I’m taking suggestions! I’m up for anything without nuts. Except peanuts. Those are okay. :)
If you love peanut butter and chocolate like I do, try this Reese’s fudge from Dinners, Dishes, Dessert! It sounds amazing.
100% Whole Grain Peanut Butter Cup Filling Filled Chocolate Brownies
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 16 brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (~256 grams) salted natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup (106 grams) honey
- 1/4 (56 grams) cup coconut oil, room temperature (normal butter works for a non-dairy-free version)
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) coconut oil or olive oil (or canola)
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (85 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) whole spelt, whole wheat pastry, or whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
Brownies:
Directions
- Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper or spray the pan with baking spray. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Combine filling ingredients and place in fridge while you prepare the brownie batter. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, canola oil, and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat just until combined. In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. It will be really thick, but that's okay. Only stir until combined!
- Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. To get the peanut butter filling somewhat evenly into the pan, I rolled the filling into balls and smushed them to make them flat, and then used those to cover the first half of the brownie batter. Cover the peanut butter filling with the rest of the brownie batter. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.
- Take them out when they are set in the middle. The top will be shiny and look strange but it has nothing to do with how done they are. They should not be the least bit cakey, but really really fudgy. Both the brownie part and peanut butter part won't appear to be done when you take it out of the oven, but it is. Let it cool and then put them in the fridge. They will firm up and get fudgy in there.
- For the chocolate topping, I just melted some chocolate and added some milk (you're supposed to use cream but I didn't want to open cream just for a tablespoon or so) until it was pourable. If you do that, you should probably keep the brownies in the fridge. I prefer them at room temperature, though!
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87 comments on “Peanut Butter Cup Brownies (dairy-free, whole grain)” — Add one!
Since this is an older recipe, is there a healthier version of it somewhere? A grain-free version? Possibly less sugars? I’d love to have a little healthier version. I love your healthier versions of things like this. :-)
I’m happy to hear that you like my healthier recipes. :) I’ve been trying to make a peanut butter cup version of these coconut flour brownies but it’s always just a puddle and never sets. :( I’ve also tried it with my gluten-free brownies and haven’t been successful with it yet. I won’t give up, though. :)
I somehow stumbled upon your website and i am so glad I did! I’m actually a registered dietitian so i’m always on the hunt for foodie blogs and “healthified” recipes for not only myself but also for clients. i’ve already bookmarked 4 other recipes that i need to try asap. Decided to start with this brownie recipe and it did not disappoint. i could not stop eating the raw batter and filling. the only changes i made were that i added 4oz vegan cream cheese in place of the butter/oil in the peanut butter filling because that’s what i happened to have on hand and i added half the sugar to the brownie batter since i’m trying to control my sugar intake (*trying being the operative word there lol). absolutely delicious! cannot wait to try the other recipes i have bookmarked!
Kirsten
I’m so happy that you found the site, too! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the brownies and have found other recipes to try, too. I hope you’ll like them just as much! Thanks for sharing your changes. They sound great! Thanks a bunch for your comment and welcome to the site. :)
Hello Erin,
Thanks for the great recipe! I actually made it 3 times in the past few days! I made 2 for 2 dinner parties and 1 for home because my husband loved it so much. I’m planning to write a blog post about it. I’ll link your recipe to my post :) I love that it’s healthy and tasty too :)
Hi Winnie! I’m thrilled that you liked the brownies so much. :) Can’t wait to see your post! Thanks for linking to the recipe and for your feedback. :)
I just made these today. In the brownie batter I used all coconut oil and used cake flour. I put 1/2 the batter in my pan and then poured in the peanut butter and then I put in the fridge for a few minutes and then the rest of the batter over it. I had to bake for 35 minutes. We just cut into them and they are very rich but ohhh so good. Thank you for a great recipe.
Ooh. I like your way better! Sounds much easier. And I love that you used coconut oil! I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m so happy you liked them. :)
What happens if you just use normal flour?
I haven’t tried it but I’m pretty sure it’d work. :)
Made these tonight and they look amazing! I haven’t tried the final product yet but if the batter is any indication then I think they will be fabulous. I can’t wait to serve them to my friends tomorrow with a lil peanut butter ice cream. Mmmm! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
I hope everyone enjoyed them! And these brownies plus peanut butter ice cream?! Wow. Sounds intense. I wish I could have been there. :D Thanks so much for the feedback!
Can i ask if I can just use an ordinary cocoa powder? I still haven’t try making it, it’s for my group’s baking project. But this brownies sure looks good.
It’ll work but it might not be as dark chocolatey. Hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
Do you have any suggestions on how one could make these gluten free successfully? They look absolutely scrumptious!!
I haven’t tried making these gluten-free so I’m afraid I’m not much of a help here! Sorry about that. You could try these gluten-free chocolate peanut butter brownies, though. :)