My sister constantly messages me about these dark chocolate peanut butter brownies with sea salt. Living in Melbourne means that moments together are few and far between. Even Skyping can be difficult with an 11 hour time difference during parts of the year. That’s why, whenever she comes back to the UK, I cherish it. Deeply and dearly. She probably wouldn’t dream I’d feature her exclusively on this blog, but my story wouldn’t be the same without her. There are moments in life that make you realise time is precious and you need to hold onto and enjoy the present. Surround yourself with people who feel like sunshine and make you laugh until your belly hurts – a lot.
Whenever I bake brownies, I think of her. Her and her friend Sarah. They both regularly encourage me to make brownies, and were pretty ecstatic when I made these peanut butter brownies with sea salt. A
What makes these peanut butter brownies so special?
- They have a hint of coffee in them to really elevate the chocolate flavour.
- They’re super easy to make and transport really easily should you wish to post them.
- They’re rich, decadent and fudgy!
- They have the perfect balance of sweetness that’s mellowed out by a little sea salt.
- The creaminess of the peanut butter is beautiful swirled on top.
Top tips for these peanut butter brownies:
- Use good quality, dark chocolate. I opt for a chocolate that’s 70% or above for that bittersweet flavour. Lindt and Menier are usually great shouts!
- Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and frothy. You want it to come to the ribbon stage, where the mixture is dribbling from the whisk in thick, luxurious ribbons. This adds heft to your batter.
- Under-bake your brownies. This recipe has a bake time of 22-27 minutes, but remember that your brownies will continue to bake even once they’re out the oven. Make sure they’re a tiny bit under-baked for that fudgy centre.
Got a question? I’m always happy to help so feel free to drop me a DM on Instagram and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Dark chocolate brownies with peanut butter and flaky sea salt
Ingredients
- 113 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 225 g dark chocolate broken into pieces
- 25 g Dutch-process cocoa powder regular cocoa powder is also fine
- 160 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 112 ml rapeseed oil
- 297 g caster sugar
- 99 g dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or essence
- 1 tbsp coffee extract/filter coffee
- 100 g smooth peanut butter
- Flaky sea salt to finish
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C and grease a square 20x20cm baking pan, then line with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan full of boiling water, stirring until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, sugars, vanilla and coffee. Add the slightly cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture, bit by bit, stirring after every addition to combine until all of the dry ingredients have been used. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Drizzle the peanut butter on top and swirl with a spatula.
- Bake for 22-27 minutes, until the sides of the brownies have set, the top is beginning to crackle and look glossy, and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. The batter on the skewer should not be wet but should have a good amount of crumbs clinging to it.
- Scatter the top with the Maldon sea salt whilst the brownies are still warm, then transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Once cool, gently lift or slide the brownies out of the pan and cut them into squares.
Notes
Check out my other brownie recipes you might love:
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