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The holidays just got a little bit sweeter with these Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies. Homemade fudgy, crinkly brownies, baked, then layered with sweet peanut butter chocolate truffle ganache. And to finish? An extra drizzle of milk chocolate and a sprinkling of salted caramel brûlée candy. Every last bite of these indulgent brownies are melt in your mouth delicious. Package them up for gifting, or serve as your Christmas dessert. They’re simple to make and guaranteed to be hit!
I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’m really loving the holiday baking this year. Something inside me just wants to bake up the sweetest things and share each and every recipe with you guys. It’s true what that say, tis’ the season for all things sweet!
Or is that not the saying and I just made that up? Either way, my excitement for holiday sweets is strong, but here’s what I am realizing. I only want to make the recipes that feel overly special or sound overly delicious. With limited time before Christmas arrives, I want to make sure I’m sharing only my favorite recipes with you guys. The ones I love the most. The ones my family will be asking for once they arrive. And most importantly, the ones I think YOU guys will enjoy the most.
Enter these brownies.
The truth is that I have so many other recipes I could have shared with you guys today. Recipes that require more time, recipes that are maybe a bit more creative, and recipes that I’m sure will be good. But in the end? These brownies really excited me the most. I knew they had the potential to turn out better than I pictured in my head. And I knew that my family would thoroughly enjoy these.
So after confirming with my younger brother, Kai, that yes, these indeed sounded really good. I was convinced. And here we are!
The Idea.
This is a version of a brownie I made a while ago. I’m talking almost eight years ago, but it’s been a brownie that has been in the back of my mind for what feels like forever now.
I just loved the thought of an extra crinkly and very fudgy brownie topped with a layer of sweet, creamy, and peanutty chocolate truffle. I knew exactly what I wanted this brownie to be, so I didn’t stop testing it until these were perfect. Or as close to perfect as I could get.
Here are the details, these are simple.
The holiday season is always busy, but having simple recipes on hand is key.
I took my favorite crinkle top brownie, layered them with a simple…but perfectly rich and creamy peanut butter chocolate truffle ganache. Then I finished these off with homemade salted caramel brûlée candy.
These brownies are my go-to. The KEY is whisking the eggs to get that extra crinkly top. The eggs should have lots of bubble on them before you stir them into the chocolate mix.
Then just bake and patiently wait for these crinkly, fudgy brownies to bake up.
And while they bake? Make the truffle layer!
This is simple…chocolate, cream, and peanut butter. It’s rich and creamy, feels very decadent. And most importantly, it’s delish.
That extra special Christmas touch.
That final touch? Salted caramel brûlée candy, which I stole from my caramel latte that I shared the other week.
Simply melt granulated sugar on the stove until it turns deep caramel in color, then spread the caramel out over a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt and let the caramel sit for a few minutes. And then? In almost no time at all, the caramel has hardened and can easily be smashed into small shards for sprinkling over your finished brownies.
It. Is. Delicious! Indulgent, and not needed by any means, but delicious.
What I love about these is that they’re easy to make, but yet they feel fancy. Everyone thinks they likely took hours to make, when they’re actually super simple.
But my favorite part? These are just perfectly crinkly on top, but also soft and gooey in the center. With an extra sweet sprinkle of caramel on top. The best kind of brownie…decadent. But it’s what we need today. Perfect for Friday night baking, holiday cookies boxes, and Christmas baking.
A little tip? If you need to impress anyone over the next couple of weeks…make them these brownies. They’ll win just about anyone over.
Looking for other chocolate holiday desserts? Here are my favorites:
Chocolate Hazelnut and Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies
Hot Chocolate Party (with 4 Hot Cocoa Recipes!)
Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Millionaire’s Bars
Lastly, if you make these Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies
Servings: 16 Brownies
Calories Per Serving: 408 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Kahlúa (optional)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee (optional)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Peanut Truffles
- 2 (3.2 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate bars, chopped
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 (3.2 ounce) milk chocolate bar, chopped
Caramel Brûlée
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9x9 inch square pan with parchment paper.2. In the microwave, melt together the butter and 1 cup chocolate chips (stirring at 30-second intervals) until melted and smooth. Stir in the sugar, Kahlúa (if using) vanilla, and instant coffee. 3. In a small bowl whisk the eggs for 1 minute until bubbly on top. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mix. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the brownies are just set. Let cool.4. Meanwhile make the truffles. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt together the semi-sweet chocolate and cream until melted and smooth. Pour about half of the chocolate truffle/ganache over the brownies and smooth it out until it reaches the edge. Swirl in the peanut butter, then place the brownies in the freezer for 15 minutes to set. Once set, pour over the remaining truffle/ganache. Melt the remaining milk chocolate and drizzle it over the truffle layer. Allow the brownies to set at least one hour in the fridge or two hours at room temperature. Sprinkle with caramel brûlée, if desired. Cut into bars. 5. To make the Caramel Brûlée. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium pot, cook the sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a heat-proof spatula until the sugar has melted and turns a golden caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread in a thin, even layer and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let sit 5 minutes. Once hardened, crush the caramel into small pieces/shards with the back of a spoon.
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Sorry Dena, I don’t have a video for every recipe:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
These brownies take brownies to a new level! Followed recipe to a tee and the family loved them! PS— make the Carmel it’s worth it!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that you have enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it!! xx
Has anyone tried using dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate? Thanks!
Hi Patricia,
Dark chocolate will also work for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi, I love your recipe ideas but I didn’t find this brownie batter worked so well for me. The melted butter mix was still so hot that when I added the eggs they cooked straight away which I don’t think should happen, so should just like to suggest to wait for it to cool a bit before adding the eggs!
Hey Sarah,
So sorry to hear this, yes you definitely want the butter to cool a little first. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xTieghan
I made these for my husband’s birthday and they were an absolute HIT. So simple when you consider the end product. I made these refined sugar and gluten-free by substituting the sugar for 3/4 cup maple syrup and a 1-t0-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour. They didn’t get that nice crinkle top, but they were still fudgy and dense. As other people noted, I had to add about 10 min baking time. I’ve already been asked to make them again!
Hey Erin,
Awesome! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
This is my second time making these brownies. I won’t make any other recipe from now on. They are filled with everything I love- extra chocolate and peanut butter! I skip the creme brûlée part and instead of spreading the truffle over the batter, I drizzle all of it over the brownies and they are still great!
Hey Andrea,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
It took me 2 tries to make this, but the hard work paid off! awesome dessert thank you for sharing!
Hey there,
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks a lot for giving it a try and happy Sunday! xTieghan
Honestly the instructions are kind of confusing and I usually love these recipes but it took 50 minutes to get the brownies to set, and then once we took them out the timing to need it to cook while making the ganache is just not adding up. Why are these in parchment paper? Definitely is what I think added to us only getting goopy liquid brownies and needing to bake them for an hour just to be almost set.
Hey Kayla,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe. Is there anything you may have adjusted? I use parchment paper for easy removal from the pan. Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
LOVED them!!! I’ll definitely be making this recipe again!!
Hey CJ,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This is honestly the ultimate combination of goodness! lol I have made these several time and they are always a hit. These are definitely some of my favorite.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I made these over the weekend and everyone loved them. I was a bit frustrated because I wasn’t sure whether the 4-5 oz chopped milk chocolate went in the batter or on top or part of it was melted in step 4 where it references “melt the remaining milk chocolate” but it also lists 1 3.2oz milk chocolate bar under Peanut Truffles. I ended up putting 1/2 of the 4-5 oz chopped milk chocolate in the batter and melting the rest for the drizzle.
I went to send your recipe to a friend and noticed you removed the 4-5 oz milk chocolate under ingredients. Just want to clarify, only 1 1/2 cups of chocolate are used in the batter. 1 cup is melted and 1/2 cup is mixed in at the end…no chopped milk chocolate.
Thank you again for another extra yummy recipe.
Hey Shelli,
Thank you so much for making the recipe. I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Yes, so sorry about the confusion, the recipe has been adjusted and you can follow as is:) xTieghan
Just whipped these up for my family and they look insane 🙂 my bf’s mom was soooo impressed – I did accidentally melt a spatula in the caramelizing sugar ? they’re setting up now but should be delicious ? I subbed Baileys for Kahlua (because that’s what I had) and I added some ground coffee because I did t have instant
Hey Emily,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
These are amazing. I screwed up on one of my measurements so I ended up increasing everything by 50% and baking them in a 13×9 pan. I am so glad I made the mistake because I had 50% MORE of these wonderful brownies. They are moist and fudgy with a touch of peanut butter beneath the hardened chocolate top. I thought the peanut butter wasn’t going to be enough but it worked so well giving the brownies just a hint of peanut butter. I will definitely make these again. They were a hit in my holiday cookie boxes.
Hey Karen,
Thanks so much for trying the brownies, I am so glad they worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
One of the best brownie recipes out there! A major crowd pleaser
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Where does the “4-5 ounces milk chocolate, chopped” go? It’s the last ingredient listed under the brownie ingredients, but I don’t see in the recipe instructions where it is incorporated.
Hey Mallory,
So sorry for the confusion, the recipe has been updated. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan