My favorite fudgy brownie cookies elevated with a simple peanut butter swirl. If you’re a fan of peanut butter + chocolate then these Peanut Butter Brownie Swirl Cookies are exactly what you need to bake!
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies
Calling all chocolate peanut butter lovers!! These Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies are dreamy little cookies perfect for snacking at home or taking to your next get-together. They’re deliciously fudgy when slightly under-baked and have perfect swirls of natural peanut butter on top. I love how simple this recipe is. The peanut butter flavor is just enough without overwhelming the chocolate brownie cookie. These cookies are so good.
Since these are brownie cookies, the dough will come together just like a homemade brownie batter; that’s because it is brownie batter (with a bit of extra flour + leavening)! To make sure your cookies turn out just like mine, I have a few important tips…
- Use room temperature eggs for proper “fluffing”
- Don’t allow the chocolate mixture to cool too much (more than 5 min) or the cookie dough will be stiffer than we want it to be
- Sift the cocoa powder and flour to avoid any unwanted lumps in the dough
- Let the dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 min to allow it to stiffen (so you can scoop it!)
- Take your time when swirling the peanut butter, making “C” an “S” shapes with a small utensil (like a chopstick), being careful not to over-swirl
- Pull the cookies out of the oven when the centers look slightly wet – this way they’re nice and fudgy! Over-baking will produce cakey cookies
How to Get the Perfect Swirl
Once you’ve mixed up your cookie dough and let it sit for 30 minutes, it’s time to scoop your cookies and swirl them with peanut butter! The best kind of peanut butter to use is a room temperature runny peanut butter. I like to use a “natural” PB with only peanuts. I get it all stirred/mixed and use it while it’s still very runny (not refrigerated!). You’ll scoop your cookies onto your prepared baking sheet. Then, you’ll use a 1/2 teaspoon to spoon the peanut butter around the top of each dough “ball” (this dough is looser than traditional cookie dough).
After each dough ball has peanut butter spooned on top, you’ll take a chopstick (or similar item) and swirl the peanut butter into the tops of the cookies. I like to make “C” and “S” shapes with the smaller end of a chopstick. It’s important not to swirl too much as you want the peanut butter to have some small pools. After you’ve swirled the PB, you can gently re-shape the cookie dough if necessary – I like to take a spoon and just push the edges a bit until the dough balls are more round.
More Brownie Cookies!
Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting
Rocky Road Brownie Cookies
Olive Oil Brownie Cookies
Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies
My favorite fudgy brownie cookies elevated with a simple peanut butter swirl! These delightful cookies are perfect for weekend snacking or taking along to your next get-together.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 3/4 cup (171g) unrefined cane sugar (or 3/4 cup/175g white granulated sugar)
- 1 cup (190g) chocolate chips (dairy-free if needed)
- 1/3 cup (74g) plant-based butter (see Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules or espresso powder (optional - see Note 2)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup (20g) Dutched cocoa powder (see Note 3)
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (114g) all-purpose flour
- ~1/4 cup (64g) runny, natural peanut butter (see Note 4)
Instructions
- Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
- Add the room temp eggs and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light in color and looks foamy and thick. This can take a few minutes (usually no longer than 5).
- Meanwhile, add the chocolate chips and butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the instant coffee or espresso powder; set aside and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Return to the sugar/egg mixture to see if it's thick and foamy. Once it's ready, stir in the vanilla extract.
- Fold the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the sugar and egg mix until totally combined. Stir in the salt and baking powder. Finally, sift in the cocoa powder and flour. Gently stir until all is combined.
- Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes - this thickens the batter so you can easily scoop it with a cookie scoop.
- Prepare your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Scoop cookies, 8 per baking sheet, using a 1.5 Tbsp scoop.
- Using a 1/2 teaspoon, spoon the runny peanut butter over the cookie dough "balls". Take the small end of a chopstick (or similar item) and gently swirl, making "C" and "S" shapes, the peanut butter into the dough. Be careful not to over-swirl as we like to have some thicker pools of peanut butter.
- Bake cookies at 350°F for 5-6 minutes or until the centers look slightly wet. You want to avoid over-baking these as that will lead to cakey cookies. It's better to take these out when they're slightly under-baked. If your cookies are slightly lop-sided you can immediately use the back of a spoon to gently press in the edges for neater, more circular cookies.
- Allow the cookies to cool on your baking sheet for 2 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack. Repeat steps 8-10 until all cookies are baked.
- Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature. Covering these cookies with foil, plastic wrap, or parchment paper may lead to the peanut butter topping transferring - avoid this by storing in a single layer.
Notes
- Butter: you can use tub or stick plant-based butter. Regular butter, or your favorite oil, will also work in these cookies. I don't, however, recommend coconut oil.
- Instant coffee: this deepens the chocolate flavor but is totally optional - don't fret if you don't have any on hand!
- Dutched cocoa: this has a deeper flavor and darker color than regular cocoa powder. The easiest to find in the US is Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa.
- Peanut butter: I only recommend using a room temperature, runny peanut butter. It's thin and easy to drizzle/swirl. The kind I use has only peanuts on the ingredient list.
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