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Triple Layer Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies. Three layers of sweet chocolate deliciousness. One fudgy brownie layer, one creamy peanut butter layer, and one crunchy chocolate layer. These brownies are over the top indulgent…the ideal end-of-the-week treat to sink your teeth into!
Serious question for you guys, do you watch football, or do you participate in fantasy football? As you might guess, I don’t partake in either, BUT all of the men in my life do. Sure, I kind of enjoy having Sunday night football on in the background, as it reminds of being a kid and Sunday nights spent with my family. But if I’m being honest, I really don’t care much to actually watch the game.
Anyone with me? I feel like I’m not alone on this.
All that said, I love the idea of football. When football season starts back up that means fall is here, and of course, that has me excited. I also love making a good game day recipe. In the past, I’ve made a lot of pull apart bread, buffalo chicken, chili, and soft pretzels, but today I’m going the sweeter route and taking inspiration from a classic Ohio dessert, buckeyes (also known as chocolate peanut butter balls, also known as addictingly good).
Most of you know that I’m originally from Ohio, so I grew up eating Buckeyes every fall throughout football season, and to this day they are probably one of my favorite desserts. What’s not to love about peanut butter balls covered in chocolate?
They’re a classic and they’re the best.
With my oldest brother Creighton in town this weekend, and Sunday night football premiering on Sunday, I knew I had to create something good for game day. Creighton loves anything with chocolate and peanut butter. So I did some brainstorming and somehow landed on these very over the top, but extremely delicious, triple layer brownies.
They are definitely not diet food, but life is all about balance. And hey, it’s basically fall, which means it’s baking season…and I’m ready to embrace it.
Plus, it’s Friday and I think we could all use a nice treat at the end of an oddly long 4 day week. Yes, chocolate is just very much needed.
Here are the delicious details.
Layer one is all about that extra fudgy, extra chocolatey brownie. I make my brownies with a mix of cocoa powder and melted milk chocolate. They’re rich, incredibly fudgey, and melt in your mouth good. Just what every brownie should be.
The brownie layer is actually pretty simple, made in just one bowl and baked in under thirty minutes. Nothing too fancy, just all things good.
While the brownies bake, make the peanut butter layer. It’s just a simple mix of peanut butter and butter. Originally I was going to make the same filling that a buckeye is made of. Which is peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter. But I felt the powdered sugar made the brownies entirely too sweet, so I ditched the sugar.
The peanut butter is dolloped over the brownies and covered with brown rice krispies and topped with another layer of chocolate.
So unbelievably GOOD.
This brownie is a chocolate lover’s dream, the dough is soft and gooey, the peanut butter creamy, and the chocolate-covered rice krispie layer adds a nice chocolatey crunch. Hands down, these are the best thing you can bake up this weekend.
It’s a little early for apples, and I’m personally a little “peached” out, so it’s chocolate and peanut butter overload for me this weekend.
My plans for Saturday? Cleaning and preparing the studio for a big shoot this week (we finally got our CO!), writing my Sunday Favorites post, ravioli making, brownie eating…and if I’m lucky, a little Netflix time too. That would be so ideal.
Truly cannot wait.
If you make these peanut butter crunch brownies, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Triple Layer Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies
Servings: 18 brownies
Calories Per Serving: 1782 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2-3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. Add the butter and chocolate to a medium microwave safe mixing bowl. Microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. To the melted chocolate whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. Stir in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt until just combined. Try not to over mix the batter, it will be thick. 3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it in an even layer. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the brownies are set on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.4. In a small bowl, beat together the peanut butter and 2 tablespoons softened butter until smooth and creamy. Dollop tablespoon size spoonfuls of the peanut butter over the brownies, lightly spreading the peanut butter into an even layer. Transfer to the freezer and freeze 10 minutes. 5. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double broiler. Sprinkle the Rice Krispies over the peanut butter and then pour the melted chocolate over top. Place the brownies in the fridge to set, about 20 minutes. Cut the brownies into squares. Store in the fridge or in a cool, dark spot in your kitchen.
How were you able to cut your brownies into such perfect squares? Mine taste great but are falling apart when I cut into them. I chilled them in the fridge for 20 minutes as instructed.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for trying the recipe, I use a super sharp knife when cutting! xTieghan
The brownies were to die for!!! I like my brownies rich and fudgy, so I used dark chocolate morsels (both for melting and adding too the batter later on) as well as a spoon of espresso grounds to enhance the chocolate flavor. SO GOOD! The rich chocolate with the pb is the perfect combo. Definitely the best batch of brownies I’ve made in a long while.
Happy Thursday! So glad this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! xTieghan
Do we have the recipe in grams & ounces please. Many thanks.
Hey Marianne,
So sorry, I will add those today! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Pretzels instead of rice crispies and it’s amazing ?
Hey Mel,
Awesome! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed and I really appreciate you giving it a try! Have the best week:) xTieghan
This recipe is a definite keeper!!! I didn’t have any of the problems that some of the other reviews mentioned (the brownie being dry, Rice Krispies being soggy, unable to cut through the top chocolate layer, being too sweet, etc.). The brownies are more of the texture of fudge and not like a gooey traditional brownie which may be why they weren’t satisfactory for some. The brownie needs to be fudge-like in order to be strong enough to support the peanut butter and chocolate topping and it worked beautifully. I switched the chocolates and used semisweet chocolate in the batter and milk chocolate for the topping because that’s what I had on hand. The only change I’ll make next time is to pour the peanut butter on, freeze 10-15 minutes, sprinkle the Rice Krispies on top, lightly pat them down, and then freeze once more for another 10-15 minutes. That way, the Rice Krispies will better set into the peanut butter and it may be a little easier to spread the chocolate on top without the Rice Krispies coming loose from the peanut butter and getting tangled up in the chocolate. Do yourself a favor and make these!
Hey Abby,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan
Was going to make cheesecake, hubby told me the football food has to be without cutlery. Lol this recipe was hubby approved! They look amazing, and he loves chocolate!
Hey Jennifer,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan
These look delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Suzanne! I am so glad you loved these! xTieghan
Huge problem….. I cannot stop eating these! They are incredible! I used more rice krispies than you suggested and I used about a cup of chocolate chips melted with about 1/2 cup of butter for the top layer. Otherwise, I made as directed. These are the going in the “favourite” file! Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you Lorrie! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
I just made these and this was my first half baked harvest recipe! These bars turned out so great and they look even better! I do have a question though, can I freeze these bars? And if so, for how long?
Thanks for an amazing recipe! 🙂
Hey Rachel! Sure! You can freeze these bars in a freezer safe container for up to 4 months. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I made these for Super Bowl and wow were they good! I used fresh ground almond butter instead and it worked great – I just added a little extra butter to thin it out a bit more. I also didn’t measure the rice krispies – I just coated the full surface of the almond butter. Make these – they’re easy and delicious!
Hi Marianne! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Delicious. Our family loves peanut butter and of course chocolate , takes the craving out of our tummies.
Yes!! So glad you loved this Susan! xTieghan
Ooo.. You may have caught me late last night in the kitchen sneaking just ONE more of these. They are so rich and tasty. I didn’t have enough coco powder, so I used 1/3 regular unsweetened and 2/3 dark choc. coco powder.. VERY GOOD.
Thank you!! So glad you loved these Breeanna! xTieghan
Can these be frozen?
Hi Madeleine! You can freeze the brownies, but I would leave the “crunch” layer off. I worry it would be come soggy once thawed. Just add that layer after you have thawed the brownies. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I thought these were going to be great, but they ended up being a disappointment. They were too sweet overall. I did love the crisp texture from the rice Krispies, but the brownies were dry. Also, it was so difficult to cut.
Hi Katie! Are there any questions I can help you with so these turn out better next time?
Regarding the PB dollops. I noticed you replied to someone that the PB evens out while baking, but there’s no baking involved after adding it! Just to my point of spreading, sorry!