Sweet & Simple Peanut Butter Brownies

I ran a Ragnar Relay this past weekend.  It was fun and exhausting.  I didn't mind the running; personally, the lack of sleep was the most difficult aspect of it all.  Though, I did get to enjoy a great audiobook while running.

The benefit of running so many miles in a 24 hour time period left me feeling completely justified in eating a big old piece of my No Fail Sweet & Simple Peanut Butter Brownies with ice cream and a peanut butter drizzle of course.  I mean I earned it, right?!  Or, I at least burned enough calories to counter balance it.  

As a result of being so tired from the Ragnar fun I didn't have the energy or the time, the 8pm bedtime and the 2 hour Sunday afternoon nap really limit baking time, to bake some delicious cookies I have been dreaming and thinking about this past week.

Therefore,my  no fail easy peasy delicious peanut butter brownies were the ticket.  Plus, I LOVE the peanut butter/chocolate combination.  These brownies take maybe 5 minutes to whip up, spends less than 30 minutes in the oven, and are full of fudgy peanut butter goodness that almost everyone loves.

I use these brownies for all of those days that I need a quick dessert for company or need to fill a sugar craving.  They also come in handy when I need to thank a neighbor or friend for something b/c they look fancier than normal brownies, taste delicious, and a pb chocolate combo is a winner.  I have had more than one neighbor comment that these are the best brownies they've ever had.  If they knew how easy these are to make, would it make my gratitude for their help appear less?  I sure hope not.    

All you need to make these bad boy brownies is peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) and a box brownie mix (and the ingredients that the box calls for).

I personally like the simple fudge brownies best; you can usually find them on sale for $1 at times so it makes them extra fabulous. 

Make the brownies according to the directions/ingredients on the box. However, I always use a 9x9 pan  so the brownies are thicker and more delicious.

After putting them in a sprayed pan I melt peanut butter in the microwave and then do dollops of pb on top of the brownie batter as shown below.  I have used both creamy and crunchy peanut butter.  They are both delicious; it really just depends if you are in a crunchy (peanut action in your brownies) mood or creamy mood.  Honestly, I switch and rotate often between both; it all depends on my mood for the day.     

After dolloping it up, I use the spoon I just dolloped with and swirl the peanut butter gently.  You don't want to swirl it too much to avoid mixing the peanut butter into the brownies.  The goal is to get a cool swirl design on top of the brownies.  

Finally, throw it in the oven, for much shorter than the box says and enjoy with milk, ice cream, or as a quick pre-workout snack.  Please say I am not the only one to eat brownies in the morning for a snack?

Peanut Butter Brownies

Recipe: Alohamora
Active Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6-8



Ingredients: 

1 box fudge brownie mix
brownie box ingredients (oil, water, and eggs)
1/4 c. peanut butter



Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325. Grease or spray a 9x9 inch pan.  
2. Make the brownies according to the directions on the box.  Basically, mix the brownie mix, oil, water, and eggs.  If your brownie box gives two different amounts for cake or fudge like brownies always choose the fudge amounts.
3. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. 
4. Put the peanut butter in a small bowl or ramekin.  Melt the peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds.  After pulling the peanut butter out of the microwave stir it to evenly combine everything. 
5. Place big dollops of peanut butter around the pan, and then using the same spoon gently swirl the peanut butter around the brownie batter.  You are just swirling, not mixing the peanut butter into the brownie batter.  
6. Bake at 325 for 27-32 minutes or just until the edges being to pull away from the pan and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.  
7. Let cool slightly so they come out of the pan easily and then enjoy!