Who loves peanut butter cups? Today’s Easy Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting will make you completely forget all about those candies! These rich chocolate brownies generously topped with sweet peanut butter frosting are the perfect bite. This recipe is a winner that everyone will love!
Tender chocolate brownies are topped with whipped sweet peanut butter frosting that will have you licking the beaters! Is there anything better than chocolate and peanut butter? It would be hard to beat this combination.
The brownies are so easy to make, one bowl that can be mixed by hand or with a small mixer, but since I keep my big mixer on the counter, I used that to make these. They come together in a snap. The hardest thing is waiting for them to cool before frosting them!
I love making these for parties, they can be made early in the day and cut just before serving so the brownies don’t dry out. If you are having a larger group, you can double the ingredients in both the brownies and frosting, and bake them in a 9×13-inch pan.
Be sure to line the pan with a sheet of parchment to make a sling that helps you get the brownies out of the pan. Use the longer ends of the parchment as handles to help lift the whole batch of brownies. Place them on a cutting board and slice into squares.
These brownies are great on their own but when you pair them with this peanut butter frosting, you will have a hard time sharing them. I wanted to eat them all myself, LOL. Lush brownies topped with heavenly peanut butter frosting is pretty darn hard to resist.
I hope you enjoy these Easy Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting soon. They may just wind up on repeat for your baking projects! Happy Chocolate Monday everyone!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Easy Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting:
- Butter, bittersweet chocolate, Gluten-free flour blend or all-purpose flour
- Baking powder, sugar, dark brown sugar, eggs
- Creamy peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, cream or milk
PRO Tip: What if I don’t have bittersweet chocolate – can I use semisweet?
Yes, you can! The brownies will be a little sweeter but the chocolate intensity will be similar. Do not reduce the sugar or you will throw off the liquid to dry ingredient ratio.
How to make Easy Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting:
- Melt the butter and chocolate together
- Combine with the sugars and eggs, beating until fluffy
- Mix in the dry ingredients
- Bake the brownies and cool
- Frost with the peanut butter frosting
PRO Tip:
If you buy sheets of parchment like I do, they can be challenging to store. I place mine inside one of my baking sheet pans and stack the rest of the pans on top. The parchment stays flat and clean and it is handy when I am getting ready to bake!
PRO Tip:
For the cleanest, most even brownie squares, cut a thin slice off each edge of the brownie block. Set the slices to the side (you can nibble on them later). Use a clean knife to make each slice by heating it first in hot water, wiping dry, and cutting cleanly across the brownies. Clean and heat the knife then dry it between each cut.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- 8-inch square baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Saucepan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Wire cooling rack
- Off-set spatula
Gluten-Free Tips:
* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Easy Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting (Gluten Free)
Who loves peanut butter cups? Today’s Easy Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting will make you completely forget all about those candies! These rich chocolate brownies generously topped with sweet peanut butter frosting are the perfect bite. This recipe is a winner that everyone will love!
Ingredients
Brownies
- 6 tbsp (89ml) melted butter
- 4 oz (113g) bittersweet chocolate (70%), coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (60g) gluten-free flour blend* or all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (100g)
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 2/3 cup (10 tbsp; 169g) creamy peanut butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup (8 tbsp to 10 tbsp; 57g to 71g) powdered sugar, to taste
- 2 tsp organic vanilla paste or extract
- 2 to 4 tbsp heavy cream or milk, or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8-inch (20cm) square baking pan. Line it with parchment paper long enough to hang over two sides of the pan forming two “handles” and butter the parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the Brownies: Pour about 2-inches (33cm) of water into a 3 to 4-quart (2.8L to 3.8L) saucepan. Set the bowl of your stand mixer into the pan - it should fit snuggly but the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Bring the water to a high simmer. Place the butter and chocolate in the bowl. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth (use a hot pad to protect your hand). Remove the bowl with the chocolate mixture from the heat, dry the bottom of the bowl and set on your standing mixer. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, blend together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- With the mixer on low and using the paddle attachment, beat in both the sugars until blended; continue beating until the bowl has cooled enough to hold your hand on the bottom. Add the eggs and beat on low to mix in; turn up to medium and beat for about a minute or until lightened in color and fluffy. Stop the mixer and thoroughly scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and the beater(s). Add the dry ingredients, beat on low until smooth. Scrape the bowl and beater again to be sure everything is incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into the corners. Smooth the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is set and the sides are just beginning to pull away from pan. The center will still be soft and a toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and the center will come out with moist crumbs attached. The center will finish baking as it cools in the pan. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling.
- When the brownies have cooled completely, frost with the peanut butter frosting.
- Peanut Butter Frosting: While the brownies are cooling, combine the peanut butter and 1/2 cup (57g) powdered sugar in the bowl of your standing mixer. Beat about 2 minutes until thoroughly combined. Taste and beat in more sugar if desired. Add 2 tbsp of the cream and beat until smooth. Taste and add more sugar if desired. The frosting should be creamy and smooth enough to spread easily. Add more cream if needed for a good spreading consistency. If it gets too thin, add more powdered sugar. Spread over the top of the cooled brownies.
- Set the frosted brownies aside for about 30 minutes to firm up slightly before cutting. Once the frosting has firmed up a bit, run a knife around the edges of the brownies, lift the parchment paper, and transfer the block of brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 pieces and serve.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
* You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to
consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 156Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 149mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 3g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. This post was first shared in July 2019. The article was updated in 2023.
