Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies

Meet the perfect brownie... Incredibly fudgy in the middle (with swirls of creamy peanut butter), and a crackly top. Each decadent bites delivers pure joy. And get this, you need just one bowl and one whisk!  

About the thickness: These brownies are thinner than what you're probably used to, and that was my intention. I love traditional brownies, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the ratio of moist middle to crackly top is off; there's too much middle and it's a fudge overload. This time, I wanted a thinner brownie, so I could experience equal parts fudge/crackle - with swirls of creamy peanut butter for good measure. Dang, it was a huge success!! In fact, I brought a batch of these to the end-of-season cross country party and they vanished. I mean like GONE before I could ask if people liked the "thin" version. All I heard was, "I want the recipe". 

Want a thicker brownie? Easily done. Use an 8-inch square baking pan instead of a 9x13-inch pan. But I encourage you to try the thinner version, just once. And then let me know what you think. 

Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies

Cooking spray

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment (or use an 8-inch square baking pan for thicker brownies). Spray the paper with more cooking spray.

Melt the butter and cocoa together in a large bowl (preferably stainless steel) set over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the sugar.

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in the vanilla. Whisk in the flour and salt.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out in an even layer. Drop teaspoons of the peanut butter all over the top of the batter. Use a knife or wooden pick to swirl the peanut butter into the batter.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean or with little moist crumbs clinging to it.

Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares (I like to pull the brownies out of the pan with the parchment paper and cut them on a cutting board).

Makes 12-16 brownies (depending on the pan you use)