Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Pizza

I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about eating a slice of brownie in pizza form that just makes it better. These brownies are thin and chewy all the way around, and, no matter what, you get that chewy edge. YUM. Add a swirl of peanut butter and chocolate chips and I’m there!

This recipe has my favorite brownie pizza base with natural peanut butter swirled into the batter pre-bake. The best part? They bake up in only 10 minutes! And if you’re new to making homemade brownies, WELCOME. You just may never go back to the boxed kind! To keep this thin brownie pizza nice and chewy, you want to under-bake it just a bit. Since ovens around the world can vary, I like to check my bakes early to make sure my brownies (and cookies, cakes, etc) don’t get over-baked.

Some of the Ingredients You’ll Need + Substitutions

Chocolate chips are necessary for the perfect crackly top. Plus, you’ll want chocolate chips to sprinkle on top before baking.

Olive oil is used in place of butter in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite vegetable oil, butter, or melted coconut oil instead.

Instant coffee deepens the chocolate flavor of the brownie. It’s totally optional, but I highly recommend it! You can use espresso powder instead.

Eggs act as a binder for the brownie. If you’re looking for a vegan replacement, I recommend checking out my Vegan Classic Brownies recipe instead.

Granulated sugar is necessary for the brownie – feel free to use white, brown, raw, or coconut sugar.

Dutched cocoa has a deeper flavor and color than regular cocoa powder. If you don’t have any on hand, regular cocoa will work just fine – your brownie will just be lighter in color.

All-purpose flour bulks up the brownie batter. I like to use an unbleached variety. I haven’t tested this recipe with any GF flours.

Natural peanut butter (the kind made with just peanuts) is the best peanut butter for this recipe. It’s runny and easy to swirl into the brownie batter.

More Brownie Recipes

Yield: 8-10 Servings

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Pizza

Name: Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Pizza
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup + 1/4 cup chocolate chips, divided; 1/3 cup olive oil (or other oil/melted butter of choice); 1 tsp instant coffee; 2 large eggs, room temp; 3/4 cup granulated sugar (raw, coconut, white, or brown); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder; 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp baking powder; 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter, room temp (the runny kind made with just peanuts)

A chocolatey Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Pizza with swirls of natural peanut butter, chocolate chips, and a chewy brownie base. This easy recipe will delight any brownie lover!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup + 1/4 cup chocolate chips, divided
1/3 cup olive oil (or other oil/melted butter of choice)
1 tsp instant coffee
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar (raw, coconut, white, or brown)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter, room temp (the runny kind made with just peanuts)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a pizza pan with non-stick spray. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a microwaveable bowl, add 1 cup of the chocolate chips, olive oil, and instant coffee. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, until chocolate is melted; set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the eggs and then the sugar. Whisk on medium-high until mixture is thick and light in color. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the melted chocolate mixture until well combined.
Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix until no flour pockets remain. Pour batter into your greased pizza pan.
Drop spoonfuls of runny peanut butter randomly over the brownie batter. Use a chopstick, knife, or similar tool to swirl the peanut butter into the batter. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Allow brownie to cool completely before slicing, or dig in while it's warm!
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

So I decided to take my favorite brownie recipe (which happens to be gluten-free) and make classic, gluten-full, fudgy brownies! For the folks looking for a simple brownie with ordinary ingredients, these brownies are for you. Made with regular cane sugars, eggs, all-purpose flour, and good ole chocolate chips, these brownies are as classic as they come. I, of course, used vegan butter for my brownies, but regular butter would work wonderfully, too!

For these brownies, you’ll melt the chocolate and fats together, whip up the eggs and sugars so they’re nice and thick, and then combine ingredients to form a batter. I only recommend using chocolate chips for this recipe as I could not achieve the same crackly top results with chopped chocolate – still unsure of the science behind this, but chocolate chips yield a crackly top every time! It’s also important to whisk your eggs and sugars until the mixture becomes thick, fluffy, and light in color – this is the traditional way to add “lift” to brownies without using any leavening agents (like baking soda, etc). The end result is a perfectly sweetened, fudgy brownie with a lovely crackly top.

Yield: 24 Brownies

Classic Weeknight Brownies

Classic, crackly-top fudgy brownies made with familiar ingredients from your pantry! The perfect brownies to bake for friends and family!

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips
1/2 cup plant-based butter (or solid coconut oil)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 heaping tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
4 large eggs, room temp
1 cup white granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cocoa powder (natural or Dutch process)
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick spray and parchment paper. I like to cut my parchment paper into two pieces that will criss-cross along the bottom of the dish and then go up the sides. Trim parchment paper at the top edge of the dish.
Using a microwave, or the double boiler method, melt together the chocolate chips, vegan butter, olive oil, and instant coffee. If microwaving, cook the ingredients in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each one. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the room temperature eggs and sugars. Whisk on medium-high speed until mixture becomes thick, light in color, and somewhat fluffy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Add the melted chocolate mixture to your eggs and sugars, gently folding in the chocolate until totally combined - this takes a bit of patience.
Finally, sift the salt, cocoa powder, and flour into the bowl of batter. Use a large spatula or spoon to mix until no flour/cocoa pockets remain. Pour batter into your prepared baking dish. If your batter has a lot of air in it, there may be lots of bubbles coming to the surface. Feel free to tap your baking dish on the counter and/or use a toothpick to pop some of the bubbles before baking.
Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out with a few crumbs. I like to test my brownies using a toothpick toward the outer edge; that way, I can ensure I don't over-bake the brownies and the middle, along with the outer pieces, will still be fudgy.
Allow brownies to totally cool in the baking dish - for quicker cooling, placing the dish on top of a cooling rack. Run a butter knife along the corners of the brownies, and then use the parchment paper tabs to life the whole brownie up and out of the dish. Carefully slice into 24 pieces, wiping your knife clean between each slice to ensure clean cuts.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, in a single layer or with parchment paper between layers (to keep the delicate, crackly top in tact).

Notes

Chocolate chips are necessary for the delicate, crackly top in this recipe