Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies

Name: Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 410 min
Ingredients: 200 g 70% Cocoa dark chocolate; 180 g Butter; 250 g Caster sugar; 3 Medium Eggs; 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract; 100 g Plain flour; 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder; 100 g Milk chocolate chips; 90 g Mini peanut butter cups; 50 g Salted pretzels; 2 Tablespoons Smooth peanut butter; 30 g Pretzels

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These chocolate peanut butter pretzel brownies are sweet, salty and fudgy with a hint of crunch. They're packed full of chocolate chips, peanut butter cups and salted pretzels, and are topped with a peanut butter swirl and more pretzels!

hand holding two peanut butter pretzel brownies

Who's ready for some autumn baking?!

As much as I love summer, I can't deny that the darker evenings have got me a little bit excited for cosy season. Trust me when I say I have a LOT of comfort desserts coming your way!

Today, I'm so excited to be sharing my recipe for these decadent peanut butter pretzel brownies. They're rich, fudgy chocolate peanut butter brownies, packed with milk chocolate chips, peanut butter cups and of course, some pretzels. The sweet and salty combo is just heavenly, and the addition of peanut butter makes this dessert extra comforting.

If you've never made brownies before, the post below will tell you everything you need to know to get them right on the first try. This includes ingredient and equipment notes, step-by-step instructions and top tips. I hope you find it helpful. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Dark chocolate: Use 70% dark chocolate, or as close to it as you can find. This will give you rich, chocolatey brownies that have just the right amount of sweetness. Using lower cocoa chocolate may result in oily or greasy brownies due to the increased sugar content.
Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted butter for this recipe. I prefer unsalted but I do think salted would go nicely with the peanut butter and pretzels. It's totally up to you!
Eggs: Eggs give brownies structure and help to emulsify the other ingredients. You'll need 3 medium ones for this recipe.
Sugar: Caster sugar is the best type to use because it'll dissolve most easily into the eggs. The more the sugar dissolves, the fudgier your brownies will be.
Vanilla extract: A teaspoon, for extra flavour.
Flour: Always use plain/all-purpose flour, not self-raising flour, for brownies. The latter has baking powder added to it and will cause your brownies to become more cake-like.
Cocoa powder: Just a tablespoon, to add more depth to the chocolate flavour.
Peanut butter cups: I used mini peanut butter cups but you can use full-sized cups and chop them up if you prefer.
Pretzels: Salted, crunchy pretzels. I used Penn State pretzels.
Chocolate chips: For extra sweetness and texture.
Peanut butter: Adding a swirl of smooth peanut butter on top of the brownies gives an extra hit of nutty flavour that pairs perfectly with the pretzels.

Equipment notes

Here's a list of all the tools you'll need to make peanut butter pretzel brownies...

8x8-inch tin: This is the best tin size to use to get nice, thick, fudgy brownies. If you'd like to use a different size of tin, you can use my cake pan converter to adjust the ingredient quantities accordingly.
Baking paper: This is just to stop the brownies from sticking to the tin. If you leave a little bit hanging over each edge, you can lift them out very easily once they're done setting.
Saucepan or heatproof bowl: To melt the chocolate and butter in. This works best if the heat is low so I'd recommend doing it in a saucepan if you can. However, it can be done in the microwave in a heatproof bowl if you absolutely have to. Just make sure to take it out and give it a good stir every 30 seconds or so to prevent burning or seizing.
Electric whisk: Or stand mixer, to help the sugar dissolve properly.
Mixing bowl: For mixing up the brownie batter.
Utensils: You'll need a wooden spoon, a tablespoon, a teaspoon, and a sharp knife.
Toothpick: Or skewer, to swirl the peanut butter on top of the brownie mixture.
Kitchen scales: I have not included imperial measurements for this recipe because accuracy is very important for success. Use a food scale for this recipe!

overhead shot of peanut butter pretzel brownie squares

How to make peanut butter pretzel brownies

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 160°C (or 140°C if you're using a fan oven). Then line an 8x8-inch tin with baking paper.

Step 2: To a saucepan, add 200g of 70% dark chocolate and 180g of butter. Place the saucepan on the stove over low heat and stir gently until both ingredients have fully melted. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for around 10 minutes or so- this will prevent it from cooking the other ingredients.

Step 3: Add 3 eggs, 250g of caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric whisk to whisk everything together until pale and voluminous.

eggs and sugar whisked together in a bowl

Step 4: Pour the melted chocolate/butter mixture into the bowl and fold it into the eggy mixture. Then stir in 100g of plain flour and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to make a smooth, glossy brownie batter.

Step 5: Mix 100g of milk chocolate chips into the batter along with 90g of mini peanut butter cups and 50g of salted pretzels. Then transfer it to your lined tin and spread it out evenly.

Step 6: Drizzle 2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter on top of the batter then swirl it around using a toothpick. Top with 30g more pretzels.

pretzels on top of brownie batter in tin

Step 7: Bake your peanut butter pretzel brownie for around 35-40 minutes, until it's slightly pulling away from the edges and has a crust on top. Let it cool in the tin then refrigerate it overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Step 8: Once the brownie has been refrigerated, pull it out of the tin, cut it into slices and enjoy! I cut mine into 16 squares but you make yours bigger or smaller if you like.

Tips for these brownies

Let the butter and chocolate mixture cool slightly before you continue with the recipe. Nobody wants chocolatey scrambled eggs!
Melt the peanut butter in the microwave before you add it on top of the brownie mixture (or use squeezy peanut butter). The runnier it is, the easier it'll be to swirl around into a pattern.
Put your brownies in the fridge overnight (or for at least 6 hours) to let set them fully. This step is crucial to a fudgy texture!

FAQ

How long do peanut butter pretzel brownies last?

These will keep well in the fridge for up to 1 week. For the best texture, keep them in an airtight container. For more tips, check out my post on how to store brownies.

Can I freeze them?

Yes, for up to 1 month. You can either freeze the whole brownie slab by wrapping it tightly in clingfilm or you can put slices into airtight containers. Small pieces of baking paper can help to prevent them from sticking together in the freezer.

Can I use a different type of chocolate?

The recipe was tested with 70% dark chocolate and the amount of additional sugar and fat has been adjusted accordingly. Slight variations such as 65% or 73% will work but I wouldn't advise going much lower or higher than this.

slices of peanut butter pretzel brownies on a white surface

More brownie recipes:

I hope you like these peanut butter pretzel brownies! If you make them at home, please leave a comment below to let me know how it goes. Enjoy!