Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Gluten-free peanut butter swirl brownies are so easy to make. This recipe, which is loaded with peanut butter, makes the best dessert for any peanut butter cup lovers in your life.

The other day I made a batch of gluten-free peanut butter blondies and it reminded me how much I love peanut butter.  I mean, why don’t I make more peanut butter treats? It’s not like they’re hard to make. One of my favorite cookies are these 5 ingredient gluten-free peanut butter cookies. Five ingredients! 

And not only are peanut butter desserts easy, they’re also tasty. Super-duper tasty. Since gluten-free brownies are always popular in our household, I decided make a batch of gluten-free peanut butter swirl brownies. Good idea, right?

Spoiler: it was a great idea.

If you love peanut butter cups, then these are for you. It’s a thick swirl of peanut butter batter nestled into the the best gluten-free brownies you’ve ever tasted. (Fun fact: I made my brownies from scratch but you can always use a box of your favorite gluten-free brownie mix.)

But I have to admit that I’m biased. I love swirl brownies of all sorts. Gluten-free cheesecake brownies and gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake brownies both make my list of top ten desserts.

Why do I love swirl brownies so much? They’re:

thick and fudgy.

loaded with flavor. 

so pretty! 

How to Make Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

1. Preheat the Oven. While you make the brownie batter, preheat the oven. This way it’s ready to go as soon as you finish mixing the batter.
2. Line the Pan (optional) I always make this step optional but, in my opinion, it’s optional only if you enjoy struggling with getting brownies out of a pan. If you do, go right ahead and skip this step. If you prefer ease, then line your pan with parchment paper or foil.To line the pan with parchment paper, cut two long (about 12-inches by 8-inch) strips of parchment paper. Lay one sheet in the pan. Run your finger along the bottom two corners of the pan, pressing the parchment into the corners. This helps to hold the parchment in the pan. Repeat with the second sheet, going in the opposite direction, crisscrossing the sheets in the pan so all the edges are covered.To line your pan with foil, cut a piece of foil about 12-inches long (don’t use heavy-duty foil for this, it’s too stiff.). Lay one sheet of foil in the pan. Gently push the foil into the corners of the pan and up the sides. Repeat with the second sheet, going in the opposite direction, crisscrossing the foil in the pan so all the edges are covered.
3. Mix the Batter. This batter comes together so easily, you can skip an electric mixer if you feel like it.
4. Make the Peanut Butter Swirl. After spreading the brownie batter in the pan, mix the swirl. If you make it before you mix the brownie batter, it gets too thick to spread easily. Drop the peanut butter mixture evenly over the pan and use a knife to swirl it through the batter.
5. Bake. These brownies take about 30 minutes to bake. A cake tester inserted into the center of the pan should come out few a few damp chocolate crumbs clinging to it.
6. Cool and Cut. This step is always the hardest part of making a bar cookie. You need to wait for the brownies to cool before you cut them. It’s worth the wait, I promise.

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• Square cake pan. I love, love square cake pans with square, not rounded, edges. This is just a personal preference. If you like square edges, this is the pan for you.
• Small angled spatula. Spreading batter evenly into the pan is important. I use this small angled spatula for the job.

5 from 2 votes

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Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Gluten-free peanut butter swirl brownies are so easy to make. This recipe, which is loaded with peanut butter, makes the best dessert for any peanut butter cup lovers in your life.

Servings 12 brownies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch process
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Peanut Butter Swirl

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8x2-inch pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 

2. Whisk together gluten-free flour blend, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Batter will be thick. 
   

3. In another bowl, combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and egg. Mixture will be thick. 

4. Spread about half of the chocolate batter evenly into the pan. Drop large spoonfuls of peanut butter all over the chocolate batter. Using a knife, swirl the peanut butter batter into the chocolate batter. Drop the remaining chocolate batter on top. Swirl lightly with a knife. 

5. Bake until set, about 30 minutes. Allow brownies to cool in the pan and then cut into squares.