Yesterday I got an email letter. It went a little something like this.
Dear Ms. the Baker,
Hi there… blah blah blaaah. I often feel the urge to eat like a trucker. Blah blah blaaaah. I always want french fries and hot dogs and meat loaf and steak. Blaah blaah blaaaaah. Today I almost ate at a place called Burgers and Pie for lunch. Blaah blaah. Instead of burgers and pie, I just dreamt up my fantasy dessert. This bring me to my point. Will you please, please, please make me some peanut butter brownies with pretzels? I’ll be your best friend.
Blaah blah,
Rachel
Ironically, this email letter was from my real life best friend, Rachel.
Rachel is prettier than me. I’m ok with that… mostly because I can’t do anything about it.
Because I want to honor and maintain the best friendship between Rachel and I… I made her these brownies. Good Lordy Almighty! These might be the best thing to ever happen to me.
Listen…
Rachel was on to something when she dreamt up these brownies.
Dense chocolate fudge brownie swirled with sweet and salty peanut butter, topped with crunchy pretzel sticks and sprinkled with coarse sea salt.
Come on…
If you don’t have an instant desire to make these… I don’t know what the heck you’re doing here.
Lord have mercy on our midsections.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies
makes 9 large brownies
adapted from Martha Stewart
For the Brownie:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
coarse sea salt for topping
For the Peanut Butter Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, I prefer natural peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
large handful of pretzel sticks
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan. Line with parchment paper so that it overhangs on two sides and grease the parchment paper as well.
Boil two inches of water in a medium saucepan. Combine butter, unsweetened chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and coffee powder in a heat proof bowl and place over the simmering water. Stir until chocolate and butter are melted. Use a pot holder to remove the bowl from the double boiler and let mixture cool slightly. Stir in the vanilla extract.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk granulated sugar into the chocolate and butter mixture. Make sure the chocolate mixture isn’t too hot and whisk the eggs in the mixture one at a time.
Fold in the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and spoon into prepared pan.
To make the Peanut Butter Filling, whisk together peanut butter, melted butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract until smooth.
Pour the peanut butter mixture on top of the brownie batter and use a butter knife to swirl the two together. Arrange pretzel sticks on top of the brownie batter in whatever pattern makes you happy. Top with a few sprinkles of coarse sea salt. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes our mostly clean… maybe with just a few crumbs.
Let cool for about 30 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
220 Responses
We found these really dry and cake like.. i think i’ll make them again but with a different brownie base. as is, the 8×8 pan is not big enough
About to make these now (excite!).
Just wanted to know whether it’s important to put the pretzel sticks on for the whole baking time? Worried they might become a bit too crunchy/burnt.
Please, make your blog – which I LOVE LOVE LOVE! More Pinnable. Whenever I try to pin one of your AWESOME recipes – I have to go back, and highlight / reapply/ it’s complicated. Thought you might like to know, but LOVE EVERYTHING else <3!
Amazing! I’ll have to try them soon! :-D
These brownies were not nearly as sweet as your typical American brownies, which I actually prefer. They turned out to be more cake-like (instead of fudge-like) brownies, which I prefer as well. But for some reason, they didn’t leave me as satisfied as other brownies have.
I am salivating. Making these today.
Oh my. I’m drooling on my keyboard. I’ll be in the kitchen making some of these now….
Oh Joy!! These look absolutely sinful. I think your friend is a genius. By the way, your brownie white chocolate chunk macadamia cookies? Best cookies I’ve ever made!
I think I might just skip a step and throw those peanut butter filled pretzels in brownie batter…
Any idea how long these will keep? If I make them the day ahead, will the pretzels stay crunchy?
these brownies will last for up to four days, well wrapped, at room temperature.
These look A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!!
I just made these – with a cupcake twist! Total success.
https://bakingnotbanking.blogspot.com/2012/04/baby-peanut-butter-pretzel-brownie.html
Oh wow how decadent!
But there is a guilty ramp up…. Filthy Brownies!
Cookie dough, rolos (add salt to make it like salted caramel), brownie mix. Layered. Baked. Served warm.
The recipe is here https://www.coffeetoastandlondon.com/2012/04/filthy-brownies.html and is a certain winner! Oh and one more thing… try them with Reeses Peanut Butter cups!
Laura x
Sweet Mother of Mercry – you are a GENIUS!!! Why oh why is it so late at night? Baking these tomorrow.
My cousin asked me for brownies. I got a deal on good pretzels yesterday – 99 cents. I had 6 ounces of chocolate left. I had leftover peanut butter from making your crispy rice treats yesterday.
So I made these brownies.
I made these with my family last night…. they’re gone now……
I guess I’ll just have to bake up another batch….. and then possibly eat something green to counteract the huge quantity of chocolate. and pb. and pretzels. in my system.
I made these last night and brought them to an NYE party. Big hit! I accidentally made them with almond butter instead of PB and they are still quite yummy.
Thanks Joy, for making my husbands birthday extra special with these amazing brownies.
I posted about them here if you care to take a peek: https://saturdayswithmaggy.blogspot.com/2011/08/birthday-brownies-and-list.html
I will be posting these to my blog very soon! They are in the oven right now. After much deliberation, I was convinced by my boyfriend to make these over my idea (inspired by you!) for chocolate nutella pretzel brownies…may be equally as delicious and I plan on finding out soon. Thanks for coming up with this deliciousness :)
Hi Joy!
I’m absolutely in love with your site. Haven’t been able to make any recipes off of it yet, but trust me, plenty are bookmarked. On top of that, your writing is awesome- everything I want my blog to be!
Just wanted to be a fangirl for a minute. Do you think you could make these with boxed brownie mix? I know, I know, they probably wouldn’t be as delicious, but I’m a college student and a grocery store is not easily accessible for me. Thanks!!
I’m so making these for my husband’s birthday in a couple weeks. Wish me luck, I’m not a baking mvp.
As it is now officially summer here in the UK and so my family and I took ourselves off to what should have been a delightful outdoor concert at the park. Sadly the rain started as soon as we arrived, and did not stop, not even for a minute. I can’t tell you how delighted everyone was when we pulled out these little squares of peanut butter, chocolate pretzel goodness, they saved the day.
Just popped these in the oven – Joy you are a goddess! I am shipping these to a friend of mine tomorrow. This week she’s turning 30, two days after her husband ships off to Afghanistan. :( I’m including 3 candles (one for each decade) and a video of me singing Happy Birthday. If she does not LOVE this effort solely for the brownies, it’ll be for the entertainment of me trying to sing to a camera – with no make-up on (who can be bothered?). :)
Love your site. Never seen Rachael and she probably is pretty but to prettier than you would mean that she would have to be an “angel” . Not saying that you’re not. lol
Hi Joy,
I’m a baker, but just didn’t love how these turned out. Cakey, crumbly, dry and not very chocolately. I wish they’d been more dense and fudgy. I love the flavor combinations…just think the textures aren’t the best. I tend to underbake brownies, but even shaving off some of the baking time, didn’t help me here. Maybe I’m more of a blondie girl at heart.
Oh my word.
In my line of work when I have a “bad day” it usually involves a lot of drama resulting from other people’s poor life choices. Today was one of those days.
I set up the ingredients at 8pm and then got called in for a meeting. Well, it’s 2:30am and I’ve just finished eating my sacrificial corner piece.
Thank you. I really needed that tonight.
Oh My…I think I just died and went to Heaven. I just made these to take to ladies’ night out and of course had to quality check my work. ZOWEE! They are fantastic. Thank you, Joy, for continuing to provide these wonderful recipes! I’m looking forward to making the Hot cocoa popovers next! YUM!
My friend Elizabeth made these for our small group this week and they were PERFECT!
OMG can’t wait to try!!!
I have been thinking about these brownies since you posted the recipe! Finally making them now- One cheat- I did use a box mix for the brownies- I had it and it was quick and I need my chocolate fix now!! One other change- instead of just laying the pretzels on top I melted 2 T butter and poured it over 1/2 cup of pretzels and then sprinkled a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt over the pretzels and then halfway thru the baking sprinkled them over the brownies. It really intensifies the sweet/salty combo I love so much!! Thank you Rachel for your awesome inspiration and thank you Joy for listening to your BFF!! They are almost done and I will be foregoing the wait 30 min to cool rule/suggestion!
i JUST made these and was really disappointed at how cakey and fluffy they came out. (disappointed is too strong of a word… the whole household still gobbled it up 10 minutes into it’s “30 min rest”).
the only things i didn’t do when following the directions are: a) used chunky peanut butter, b) didn’t have parchment paper, and c) used salted butter
would any of these factors have changed the consistency to a cake vs. denser brownies?
i don’t think these factors would change the texture of the brownie. hm… curious.
I am making this for the second time in a week! Stop it! I’m getting fat!
I made this! These brownies are the best brownies I have ever made and they are so SIMPLE! This is staying in my repertoir, definitely. I made mine in a bigger tray, maybe 9×12? I think next time, I’ll double the chocolately brownie part, just to make them as big and fudgey as the one’s you’ve got. I *could* buy a smaller tin… but who am I kidding? I can just make more ;)
Hi Joy. I made this cake yesterday – and what an lovely treat! I added meltet chokolate on top of the baked cake and some chopped salted peanuts. It was loooovely! And even better today :-D I lived in Florida for a periode of time and I fell in love with M&Ms with peanutbutter. We don’t have them in Denmark, so when i crave them – I will make this cake as an substitute ;-)
made these tonight and they were the most perfect thursday-night-is-almost-friday treat. thank you!
I made these in January after I saw your post and they were amazing! Everyone LOVED them!
“Let cool for about 30 minutes” is an irrational instruction and I shall not follow it.
I can handle the scalded tongue that will inevitably come of my disobedience.
I think of that more of a suggestion than an instruction. Much like not crossing the double line in the carpool lane (I joke). You go with your scalded tongue!
those look incredible… i don’t know if my waistline can handle it…
Hey Joy,
This recipe is another super success from your kitchen to mine. Next time I plan to JUST under bake them and I may add a smidge of melted caramels for good measure (and by “smidge” I of course mean lots). Thanks for sharing!
right on!
Hi Joy, I was wondering, do these brownies ship well? I’ve been looking for something special to send to a few people, and these look perfect. You website is delightful and inspirational, and I thank you for continuing to blog. :D
well wrapped and packed super tight… i would say these brownies have a chance of making it through shipping!
how would you suggest wrapping these within a care package?
i would! yes! double wrap those brownies and ship them overnight if possible.
Hi Joy,
I’ve been meaning to set aside a day to make these ever since I saw your initial post. I must admit that I am a novice baker, but I thought I did pretty well right up until I had to mix the peanut butter topping on top of the brownie. I was confused as to whether I was actually using the knife to mix the pb into the chocolate below or if it was intended to stay just as a top layer. I did the former, basically making a big gunky mess in the pan. Unfortunately the brownies never really cooked all the way through (maybe because of all the oil in the natural pb?) so I couldn’t serve them, but the bits that were cooked along the edges tasted pretty good! Any tips for next time for a beginner?
the peanut butter layer is just supposed to be swirled on the top… not mixed all the way in. i’m sorry that was unclear!
I just melted into a puddle of chocolate. this. looks. fffing. awesome.
StumbleUpon sent me to your website about a month ago and these brownies caught my eye and have had me craving for a month! finally caved tonight and baked them! thanks so much for the great recipe!
Joy, I made these finally and I have to say, while they are good, they are just not my taste. I think I’m not a chocolate/pb person and sadly none of my family is either. I think these were just too rich for us- the 12 TB of butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips make these one of the richest desserts I’ve ever made, if not the richest. And they were seriously salty, even though I left out the coarse salt. The pretzel pieces weren’t appealing either. The brownie portion was yummy though.
I made this for friends and they are absolutely raving over this!!! never heard such compliments on a cake before. So – compliments go to you – thanks, Joy, for the amazing recipe!
the more i exercise, the less i want to eat
the less i exercise, the more i want to eat
the more i want to eat chocolate, brownies and peanut butter things. for instance those flourless peanut butter cookies of yours; i made them for my boyfriend on valentines day (and kept some extra for myself :P) and ive been thinking about them ever since :D
and so theeesse LOOK AMAZING!!
as soon as i saw the peanut butter and brownie together, i fell in love, kind of. I cant say I’m HUUGGGEEEE on pretzels, but I’ll trust that they’re damn good with these blissfull looking cakes (brownies are kind of like cake… kind of?)
Joy,
what a fantastic job you’re doing. I love your site! I am dying to try these brownies and would like your permission to post them on my blog with a referral to your site. I just know my readers are going to love them!
I enjoyed reading your story about Main Street in Santa Monica. You poor thing, first to have a bee fly down your shirt and then to rip your shirt off. You told the story in such a fantastic way that I could clearly picture it.
Here’s to cute bras and not-so-nosy bees!
go for it! thanks for asking!
Hello! I love your blog and I just made the chocolate peanut butter pretzel brownies! Did it say in the recipe to eat spoonfuls of the peanut butter filling before spreading on top of the brownie mixture?? Ha sooo good! Joy, do you go to Ecclesia Church?
True confession: made these last night, but with Ghiardelli brownie mix! I still consider them slightly homemade, because I made the peanut butter batter. Thanks, Joy! They were a hit! (Although, how could they not be…peanut butter and chocolate are kinda unfairly irresistible).
I made these a couple weeks back and they were incredible. Perfect combination of sweet and salty. I ran into some spatula issues, but that’s another story. https://foodiebia.blogspot.com/2011/02/chocolate-peanut-butter-pretzel.html
Joy, what did I do?
The chocolate part came out a bit dry, and the peanut butter part was still gooey – I didn’t get them to mix together very well. Maybe next try will be better?
I am pretty sure my 3-year-old son is going to topple over with happiness when I tell him tomorrow that we are going to bake these.
Thank you. :)
PS. I’m also pretty sure my consumption of these will undo the P90X my husband begged me to do with him tonight.
Thanks a lot. :(
My boyfriend and I have a peanut butter-chocolate treat Valentine’s tradition. These, my friend, will be made and consumed this weekend in early celebration. Can’t wait to get my glutton on!
….genius, Joy!
I was saving this recipe for a special occasion. I made them yesterday fora SuperBowl party. Scale 1 -10: 11! So rich & delicious & the pretzel topping blew me away. I secretly saved 2 for mysel & they are haunting me. They wont last long!
Found you on Elana’s Pantry blog and cannot stop reading !!! Forget the food, you need to write a book – you have a gift for writing and expressing yourself in a very unique and straightforward style. Your observations on friends, neighbors, cats …well, I’m a foodie and I forgot about the food and just wanted to read and read more and more. So get even busier and start that book. Since it’s only my first day here, I can’t give you any suggestions on the topic – I barely know you, but I would certainly buy a book you wrote. That much I do know already. Just a suggestion from a total stranger.
Just took these babies out of the oven, they look AMAZING! Can’t wait to try them.
BUT, they don’t look as pretty as the picture :-( mine are more of an all-over-brownish color…how do you get those pretty swirls?? i tried what joy said, putting the pb mixture on top of the brownie mixture and then swirling them together with a knife, but it just didn’t bring up those beautiful chocolatey ribbons :-( any tips??
Hi Erica,
Turn your knife sideways and you will have a wider swath. I go over the brownies in all four directions, sometimes twice. Then you will see the swirls.
I just found your blog..everything you make looks so yummy…I am going to make these brownies..
thank you for sharing.
sherry ;-)
These brownies look amazing. I love love every recipe I’ve tried from this wonder blog thank you so much! I will be making them tomorrow for the guys during the big game (football)!
I was looking for an excuse to bake for my boyfriend today. This is the excuse. Oh lawdy lawd am I excited to see his face when he bites into one of these babies! Thanks, Joy. You rule as always.
you are hilarious and i just spend 40 minutes looking through your posts.
I made these just after Christmas. As yummy as they tasted , my next batch will have some changes.
I had broken the pretzels in half and lined them up like the picture. The problem came when I had to cut them up. The pretzels kept popping up at the opposite ends, making rough edges. So next time I will break the pretzels up in little pieces.
Using the natural peanut butter was a great idea, but it didnt seem to want to “pour” over the brownie batter. So next time, I will cut back on the icing sugar and see if that helps thin it out more so it can be poured on. I had to spoon it on and wasnt sure how that would blend with the brownie mix so I held back half of the peanut butter mixture. It was very stiff and hard to swirl thrughout the batter.
Other than that, they tasted great!
Now that’s a good friend! I will spend 2011 figuring out how to become your BFF as well so you can make me delicious treats. Thanks ;)
These? Are beyond phenomenal…to infinity and beyond phenomenal…OMGOMGOMG nom-nom-nom-phenomenal.
OMG. Oh dear god. I love chocolate. I love peanut butter. I love pretzels. Whoever thought up the chocolate peanut butter combo was a god. I love to scoop Nutella and peanut butter out of the jar and do a half spoonful of each…this was a recipe with me in mind…Oh wow.
I love this idea! And they look great too! How fun!
Hey Joy!
Saw this post today after I whipped up a batch of PB brownies myself! I have a soft spot for anything peanut butter, but peanut butter and chocolate is my KRYPTONITE!!!!! Thanks for the great recipe.. check out my post about my brownies today for a quick fix pb brownie recipe with a different twist to it!
Happy Holidays!
The Gourmetour
Shut the front door…its 8:30 here now, and I am going to start making these immediately, if not sooner ( never understood that expression, kind of like new and improved)
Just took these out of the oven and they look and smell so amazing. Don’t know if we can wait the 30 min to cool.
Oh dear god is right. My two little boys and I made those yesterday. They are gone. Nothing but the extra pound on the scale to prove they ever existed. Thanks for a really good recipe!
these look incredible, joy. super duper delicious. too bad im stuck with a swollen lymph node that doesn’t allow me to eat almost everything.
Oh. My. Heavenly. Goodness.
I love you Joy the Baker, I LOVE you.
Hmmm. I love pretzels in my ice cream so I’m sure this would be pretty stellar too! Why don’t you take this one step further for me and make some Take Five Bars. It’s on my list, but it would be so much easier (for me!) if you did all the testing and then just shared the recipe. :) Love your blog!
Wow, these are amazing looking, don’t know that I should make them…I might be the one eating like a trucker lol!
Oh this is genius….love it!
way off topic, but…
happy holidays, joy!!
thank you for the dailey inspiration, GO-geous pics, delish recipes, humor and sharing your life. it is a real committment to post as often as you do…
your blog is a happy, little year-round christmas gift.
nanne
you’re super sweet! happy holidays backatcha!
Could you crumble the pretzel and make a crust with it or a pretzel crumble on top? Not as cute as yours of course. You would probably get the same flavors but probably not that crunch.
you are seriously out of control now.
just yesterday, i said to my partner, ‘they should really offer pretzel pieces as an ice cream topping at ice cream shops,’ as i was crumpling up pretzels into my Moose Tracks. Because who wouldn’t want that?
And now this? What am I to do? Smitten Kitchen’s roasted chestnut cookies are cooling in the kitchen. I’m full. But, I have all the ingredients on hand, and a whole day of free time….
seriously? any brownie with something salty has gotta be great!
love,
cathy b. @ brightbakes
that looks delicious, i think i might go and make them NOW
and to be honest i think you look prettier than rachael :)
wrong. but thank you. but wrong.
I was just thinking about peanut butter, pretzel balls dipped in chocolate….you must have read my mind.
These looks great.
Joy!!! You used the pretty purple plate! A true friend in many ways <3
i love that dang plate. many thank yous!
Wowee wow! What a creative recipe and I bet Rachel truly enjoyed them aswell… unfortunately, peanut butter is one of those things that are hard to get here. DANG IT!!!
mmm I can’t help but wonder if breaking up some pretzels and putting them in the dough, along with, say, salty peanuts, would work. Like making Chubby Hubby (discontinued Ben & Jerry’s ice cream) flavoured brownies. It was my fave flavour.
Wouldn’t you know, I had extra pretzels just lounging in the pantry last night…they were put to good use quickly! These were delicious – and the perfect final thing to pack up in my holiday gift boxes to ship out! Thanks, Joy!
oh. my. lord. have mercy on our midsections is right!
To me, brownies just scream “CHRISTMAS!” at me whenever I see them. I would totally be running into the kitchen to make these right now, if it weren’t for the batch of brownies I already have out there. Even with the peanut butter (which I’m not too fond of) these look amazing.
Joy… you are a genius.
you need to start a post and ship site. I want to eat these right now but I am up to my ears in holiday cookies.
I made Martha’s recipe before . . . I’ll have to try your adaptation
Maybe I’m going waaay over the top but every time I look at these I want them… but with caramel drizzled over the top of the pretzels. YUM
So when I read that you love brownies my heart melted a little… :)
My friends always tell me they can’t believe how much I love those chocolately gooey squares… mmm mmm good… and then you combined peanut butter and pretzels… 2 of my other favorite things! Nutso!
Can’t wait to make these for my dinner party on X-mas eve… yay! They will love them… I’m guessing I’ll provide vanilla ice cream too :) just cause I love a little goodness on top of my brownie!
I absolutely want to make these, and thank the heavens for Rachel, for you, and for my taste buds LOVING sweet + salty together, specifically chocolate + peanut butter + pretzels.
More importantly, thank you for sharing. I’m down to goodies for the mailman + hairdresser – these will be included in their boxes!!
I love this brownie. Great work!!!
no no no! These look too good to not make. And I already made a huge cake just for a friday night. I guess a few more treats wouldn’t hurt…
This is seriously weird, but I’m looking for a new hairdo right now & I’m thinkin’ that I’m loving your girl Rachel’s hair. Could you post another shot of her head on so that if I really like it I could take to the hairdressers & say – make me look like this. Also, those brownies are hot.
These are in the oven as I type (with one fist full of pretzel sticks and a black tank top liberally dusted with icing sugar.)
I did have a little problem… the vanilla addition isn’t mentioned in the brownie instructions. As I was pouring the batter into the pan (full of the pride that can only come from hand-mixing) I looked at the bottle of vanilla sitting on the countertop and said a bad word, but we’ll pretend I said “Oh”. Or maybe “pretzelsticks!”
I’m sure someone more clever than me would’ve realized this before it was too late and just tossed it in, but perhaps you’ll edit in order to show some Christmas mercy towards those of us who are not so brilliant. :)
Then again… if they came out perfectly I might be forced to share.
I’d be so tempted to dip those pretzels in caramel, too…
There is only good things that can come of chcoclate and pretzels together, perfect.
Oh Holy Lord!!!!!! I think I may have just died and gone to heaven!!! I don’t know why I’ve never thought of this. And since I have aaaaaaaall of the ingredients I think I may just have to make these as soon as humanly possible.
love it! can you tell me where you go that baking dish? i want to go to there…
mad props on the 30 rock reference.
oh jesus! that has to be my dreamj dessert! NEED NOW.
Amalia https://buttersweetmelody.wordpress.com
Oh my god you just put everything I want to eat right now into one beautiful dish. I wish I could make them this instant but I have to go take finals. These brownies will give me something to live for.
Joy, I stalk your blog religiously and have made many things from it. I don’t know what I would do if I had to wake up without seeing what you made for dessert the night before. Anyways, these look PHENOM. I think I’m going to go make them right now because my sister’s coming home for the Holidays. Perfect timing! THANKS!
oh my goodness, these look UH MAY ZING! i must make them NOW.
OH YUM!!!!!!!!!!!! where’s my little thumbs up like button????
At first glance I was unsure about this concoction, but the more I looked at it, the more I think you’re totally right – I should be eating these RIGHT NOW.
You had me at “chocolate.” Uh, I mean, “peanut.” Oh, I mean, “butter.” Ooops! I mean “pretzel.” Oh, wait. I mean, “Brownies.” That’s it! You had me at “chocolate” “peanut” “butter” “pretzel” “brownies.” Oh, boy. I’m in trouble!
Looks amazingly delicious!!! The combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzels is perfect!! :)
Holy toledo, you aren’t messing around here! Those are seriously good looking. I can only imagine…
sounds wonderful! YUM YUM
Rachel’s Auntie Jacintha
This is so original haha! Peanut butter and pretzels! Nice idea!
Oh holy cow. Those look amazing. I am home sick today, and I still want to make them immediately. They look that good. Quick question though: do you think you could add chopped up pretzels to the brownie batter for a little extra salty crunch or do you think they’d get soggy and/or make the brownies overly salty? Thanks!
why the heck am I at WORK behind a computer when I could be HOME behind the stove making these.
the white chocolate/peppermint pretzles I have in my lunch will have to hold me over….
haha….ditto. my thoughts EXACTLY.
wow thats a new way to get some fibre
I saw this and I thought “OMG I NEED TO MAKE THOSE FOR BREAKFAST!”. I also cracked up when I read… “If you don’t have an instant desire to make these… I don’t know what the heck you’re doing here.” My thoughts exactly!!!
“eat like a trucker”
i serioulsy loled :)
Oh, dear. These are amazing. Why has the sweet-salty combination just recently taken over the baking world by storm? I feel like it’s everywhere lately, and I am LOVING it! Thanks so much for sharing, Joy.
best. flavor. combination. ever. the end.
If those pretty little yellow and white napkins are from Target, then I have the same ones! Except I turned them into a throw pillow for my couch. Too cute.
Also, this looks incredible.
Hi Joy! Can you tell me where you got those beautiful little dishes?
Um. Wow.
I just…
Wow.
You make me laugh, “Lord have mercy” too funny! AND the brownies looook wonderful.
Seriously. Did you really have to post this?? Well, I guess I’ll just have to make it then. And my family will thank you.
Haha, I love the story behind these. This does sound like a brownie that a food-lover would dream up. They look great — I’m sure kids would love them too!
I like the way your real life best friend thinks. Burger & pie for lunch and then she comes up with the GENIUS pb brownie with preztels. amazing.
Your lucky to have friends like that.
Burger & Pie is a great joint in Pasadena. Must have!
Oh my God, these are just what I’m looking for… pretzel flips aren’t available in the UK anymore, but now I don’t care…
chocolate and peanut butter and pretzels and sea salt….i’m drooling all over my keyboard right now. rachel is a genius!
Sweet and salty and pretty napkins?! Where in the world did you get those beautiful napkins?
Salty sweet! Awesome!
Hey, Joy, those look delicious! I love how you swirled the peanut butter. Is there really supposed to be 1/4 cup salt in the brownies, though? I know this is supposed to be salty/sweet, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a baking recipe that called for more than a teaspoon of salt.
it’s just a quarter teaspoon. that’s a really really stupid typo to make.
How can you go wrong with chocolate and pretzels? And then there is the addition of peanut butter!
I’d want to try topping these with peanut butter stuffed pretzels. Oh yeah.
why am i not eating these right this second?
These look fantastic, Joy! I made a batch of Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies for my students last month, and it was their favorite recipe so far this year. Something about the wonderful sweet n’ salty combo of PB, chocolate, and pretzels is just delightful, isn’t it?!
Kudos to Rachel for dreaming up such a brilliant concoction, and kudos to you for being the good friend who makes it a reality!
These remind me of the Take 5 candy bar. Which is delicious. So yeah… I want to make these even though it’s not 10am yet.
These look amazing!!!!! My mouth is watering. Will definitely have to try these!
…Rachel is pretty. I love the photo of her with the flowers with the piano in the background – lovely photo. But then Joy, you are just as equally pretty. Together, you two blow the Pretty-O-Meter out of the water! Mmm hmm…;o)
…These sound delish and I am printing the recipe as of right now! Thank you for sharing!
…Merry Christmas to you & yours! *<[:o{)
…Blessings too…
Nothing better than sweet and salty!! Thanks!!!
Thank you Rachel, for this utterly amazing idea… and thank you Joy, for making the idea come to fruition! These look amaaaazing.
Oh my GAH. There are no words. (Amazing.)
Your friend is lovely, and so are you.
Those brownies are going to win awards!
Sweet and salty – that is the perfect combination in my book. These brownies at first glance made me go ‘whaaaat??’ But then the more I thought about it, the more I started drooling over them. They sound fantastic.
i can feel my waistline becoming larger and more nonexistent every time i read your blog :)
Why don’t I keep chocolate stocked in my house at all times? I want to make these for breakfast!
Um…so there’s salty and sweet…and crunchy…oh and the best combo ever invented peanut butter and chocolate?? Amazing.
Interesting that this should be posted, because I was thinking yesterday about how I could possibly combine my love of brownies, peanut butter and the insanely awesome dark chocolate-dipped pretzels that I was chowing down on. (Incidentally, they were almost as awesome as these things.) I think I might buy some of those pretzel chips today and make this recipe with them in the place of the pretzel sticks. Then I might die from happiness. Oh. Mah. GAH.
What a sweet sweet post.
Great flavors for the brownies, great gesture for your friend Rachel.
Love :)
if i didn’t have somewhere to be in an hour, i’d already be backing. i need these in my life immediately
I want these so bad right now…and it’s only 6:30am!!
these are pure genius! I can’t even began to think of a better flavor combination!
Holy Trinity Catwoman! Your friend is a mad scientist! I will make these when I return to the States!
*love from UK*
Wow, These brownies are going to get you lots of best friends! And rightly so :D
Thanks for sharing.
Oh man – I bet potato chips would be rad too.
yes!
Dang it. Now I have to do it.
What a sweet (literally) thing to bake for your friend! I think these brownies could win any one over! I love sweet and salty! But nutty too? I’m in! *saving*
This recipe is basically just a ‘Things of Beauty’ list: sea salt, chocolate, peanut butter, coffee and savoury snackfoods. I really don’t know why it never occured to me to just take a handful of my favourite edible things and throw them into a brownie – after all, that’s usually how I come up with a new cookie. Feel free to post more of these quirky-flavour-combinantion recipes. Might I suggest something apple + peanut butter related?
I will give an arm for a piece…
forgive me. but ummmm. isn’t your pretzel laying a little lazy? c’mon….imagine if you smashed up some of the st@arbuckz chocolate caramel pretzel yummness and reverse smashed it into a brownie or two. Just sayin’.
Rachel is really, really lucky to have you as a best friend! Wow, what delectable creations. I really like the swirls of the peanut butter and chocolate. Sinful yet worth a try!
This is the most incredible mix I’ve seen in a long time, that’s what best friends are for I guess, new ideas!
Oh, dearie dearie me… I can see why you two are best friends.
As if things couldn’t get any more fabulously decadent around here!….Yum.
Who has the piano hands? These are tres hilarious,,,but also delish, I bet! I have a thing for Mr. Pretzel to be honest… I love him in all ways…anyways, even vertical or sideways..
I love salty sweet. This looks like a brilliant concoction.
Brilliant! I love that this dream needed very little deciphering, haha.
Whoa! These are genius. Of course they’re gonna be awesome–they have that added crunch. And salt. And coffee! Which is super important.
Yumm to the max =)
i am eating one of these right now. best. best. best. ever.
i still have urges to eat like a trucker.
ah well. you rule. thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for getting Joy to make these for you, and share them with us!
my pleasure! i excel at being bossy, especially when it involves peanut butter & chocolate!
these look ridiculous.
and i want to try them so badly!