National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day: Celebrate With These Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Today is Leap Day. For some of us, it means trading childrens’ tears for candy. For others, its an extra day to read, write, and/or bake.

If you’re the sort that can’t wait to spend the extra free time whipping up some treats for post-Leap Day festivities, you’re in luck. Tomorrow happens to be National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day. So to help you out, we’ve got this delicious recipe from our Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook.

Read on to learn how to make peanut butter swirl brownies. Yum!

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies from the Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook

Makes 12

No one knows who actually baked the first brownie, but most people chalk it up to a busy cook who forgot to add the baking powder to a chocolate cake batter. My mom used to bake these moist, chewy brownies with a rich peanut butter topping when I went home from college for a visit—they were a welcome treat for my friends and me after many months away from home.

Ingredients:

Brownies

1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 ounces (1/2 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

Peanut Butter Topping

1/2 cup Smooth Operator peanut butter
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking dish. Dust the pan with flour and tap tap out the excess.

2. To make the brownie batter, in a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt and set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add the brown sugar, stirring quickly until well incorporated. Set aside and allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes

4. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, stirring constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Fold in the dry ingredients and pour the batter into the prepared pan.

5. To make the peanut butter topping, in a medium saucepan over low heat, stir the peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes and then add the egg, stirring quickly. Fold in the flour.

6. Pour the peanut butter topping over the brownie batter. Using a butter knife, cut a series of lines horizontally and vertically through the batters to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.

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