Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Love peanut butter and chocolate? These gorgeous, soft, and vegan brownies will be your new addiction.
Ah, chocolate and peanut butter. This classic flavor combo is one that I will never get tired of. There is something so magical about salty nutty peanut butter when paired with sweet dark chocolate. I am happy to say that these brownies are what every peanut butter and chocolate lover dreams of – rich, moist, chewy, chocolatey, and packed with peanut butter flavor. Did I mention they are dangerously addicting? This dessert is always a crowd pleaser and never lasts more than 24 hours.
Not only are these brownies beautiful, but they are also SO easy to make. No electric mixer required! What’s the secret to obtaining the perfect peanut butter swirl pattern? It’s all in the fork! All you have to do is drop dollops of the peanut butter around the surface of the brownie batter, grab your fork and gently swirl the two mixtures together until you have a pattern you’re satisfied with. Creating the swirls on these brownies is my favorite part of this process!
Why this recipe works
This recipe is 100% vegan, but no one would ever know because these brownies are SO decadent. The richness in these brownies comes from the combination of coconut oil and boiling water. These two ingredients are a power couple for making moist, chewy, and chocolatey desserts.
Why use boiling water? You may have come across boiling water listed as an ingredient in other chocolate cake or brownie recipes before. This is because boiling water helps the cocoa powder to bloom. What does it mean to bloom cocoa powder? Cocoa powder is bloomed when it is mixed and thoroughly combined with a hot liquid. This will help the cocoa powder to dissolve and release all of the chocolatey flavor particles into the hot liquid. This baking technique will intensify and enhance the chocolate flavor in these ultra-rich brownies!
I know that you will love this easy and indulgent recipe, so let’s get baking! If you’re a peanut butter and chocolate lover, be sure to check out these recipes too: Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Granola Bars, and Flourless Peanut Butter Blondies.
Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips dark or semi sweet
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Optional: 1/3 cup of chocolate chips
Peanut butter swirl
- 1/3 cup of creamy peanut butter
- 1 heaping tablespoon of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 baking pan with coconut oil.
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until combined.
- Combine one cup of boiling water with cocoa powder, chocolate chips, vanilla and coconut oil – whisk until all ingredients are melted and combined.
- Gently pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined (add in optional chocolate chips). Evenly pour batter into your greased baking pan.
- In a separate small bowl combine peanut butter with powdered sugar and coconut oil until smooth.
- With a spoon, evenly distribute peanut butter mixture onto the top of the brownies in lines or just small spoonful – use a fork to swirl the peanut butter throughout the brownie batter until desired appearance and the mixture is distributed evenly.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes in or until a toothpick comes out clean – let cool for 15 minutes and enjoy!
