Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

by Jillian

A wonderfully rich (and simple!) three-layer brownie that consists of a fudgy brownie base, a peanut butter truffle filling, and a smooth-as-silk ganache.

Title

If you read my last post, you know that I LOVE peanut butter. And when you combine the blissful taste of peanut butter with the deeply chocolatey goodness (more like Godliness) of brownies, you can’t go wrong. Not to mention, adding a third layer of rich, deep chocolate ganache. My mouth is salivating just typing this description. These brownies were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

IMG_2025(edit)

Not only do these brownies look (and taste) impressive, they’re super simple to make as well. My favorite kind of recipe! I kinda cheated and used a boxed brownie mix, partly because I wanted to keep this recipe simple, and partly because I just felt lazy. However, if you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can always substitute your own favorite brownie recipe, Miss Fancypants Martha Stewart.

To add to the simplicity of this recipe, the peanut butter truffle layer is just two ingredients. You read that right. TWO!  It’s just a package of Nutter Butter Cookies and a package of cream cheese.

Nutter Butters and Cream Cheese

That’s it! I like to think of it as a white trash version of the peanut butter truffle. Ain’t nuttin’ wrong with bein’ white trash if you’re savin’ money AND time!

This recipe really doesn’t require that many ingredients, which makes it a homerun in my book! Or a slamdunk…whichever sport you like the most. I’ve made it even easier on you by providing a few simple step-by-step photos. If you’re a pro though (I like to rhyme!), just skip down to the bottom for the recipe. Happy baking!

To make the peanut butter truffle filling, you’ll need to first finely crush one 16-oz package of Nutter Butter Cookies either using a food processor, blender, or a zip-top bag and a rolling pin/mallet/weapon of choice. As shown here, I used a food processor. It looks a lot like sand…YUMMY sand!

Nutter Butter Crumbs

Next, you’ll add an 8-oz package of cream cheese, and blend until it comes together like a dough. There’s no such thing as over-mixing since you want the texture to be really smooth.  It should look something like this:

Peanut Butter Truffle Mixture

While it doesn’t look very appetizing at the moment, it’ll look much tastier between a layer of brownie and a layer of ganache!

Once your brownies have baked and cooled, you can top them with your peanut butter truffle filling. To make it easier to spread, I used a spoon to scoop some of the PB mixture and dollop it all over the brownie.

Dollop mixture

Then I used a rubber spatula to gently press the filling together into one even layer.

Press it good!

Finally, you can pour your slightly cooled ganache over the top and spread with a butter knife or my personal favorite–an offset spatula.

Ganache

Altogether:

Layering Process

Warning: Once you cut into these babies (that sounded pretty morbid), it’s impossible to restrain yourself from eating at least half of the entire batch immediately. In fact, I took a bite of one of the brownies for photo purposes, and I had to stop myself from devouring the whole thing right then and there.

Take a bite

The combination of flavors and textures will make your mouth explode!

In a good way…

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

A wonderfully rich (and simple!) three-layer brownie that consists of a fudgy brownie base, a peanut butter truffle filling, and a smooth-as-silk ganache.
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 Pieces

Ingredients
  

Brownie Layer

  • 1 box Brownie Mix (plus ingredients called for on the back) or Your favorite Brownie recipe

Peanut Butter Truffle Layer

  • 1 (16 oz) package Nutter Butter Cookies
  • 8 ounces cream cheese

Chocolate Ganache

  • ½ cup 4 ounces heavy cream
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped or in chip form

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  • Prepare brownie batter according to directions on the box. Pour into pan and bake according to box directions.
  • Meanwhile, place Nutter Butter cookies into a food processor. Pulse until finely crushed. Add cream cheese and pulse until fully blended. It should resemble a dough-like consistency.
  • Once brownie is cooled, spread the Nutter Butter-cream cheese mixture over the brownie. (I found it easiest to spoon dollops of the mixture evenly over the brownie, and then gently pressing it down to form an even layer.) Store in the refrigerator while you prepare the ganache.
  • Pour heavy cream into a microwave-safe bowl and add the butter. Heat in a microwave until it begins to boil. My microwave took about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and add chocolate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove wrap and stir until smooth.
  • Remove brownies from the refrigerator, pour ganache over it and spread evenly with a knife or offset spatula.
  • Return to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow ganache to set. Once the ganache is set, cut into 24 squares and serve. Brownies stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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2 comments

Katie April 23, 2014 - 10:19 PM

These look absolutely incredible! I can’t wait to try them!

Reply
Jillian April 24, 2014 - 12:35 AM

Thanks Katie! They tasted even better than they look 🙂 Definitely try the recipe!

Reply

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