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45 minutes

Buckeye Brownies

Steph LoaizaWritten by:
14 Comments
4.67 from 6 votes
These glorious buckeye brownies are the perfect mix of chocolate and peanut butter that will leave your taste buds asking for more.
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We LOVE Buckeye Brownies! Some of you might be wondering what exactly is a buckeye.

Well the name “buckeye” comes from Ohio. These wonderful desserts are meant to resemble the nut that comes from the Ohio buckeye tree. 

With these when you cut into the brownies you will be able to see all of the peanut butter and chocolate layers just like if you were to cut into a buckeye nut. 

Ingredient Notes

Buckeye Ingredients:

  1. Cocoa powder
  2. Eggs
  3. Salt
  4. Flour
  5. Granulated sugar
  6. Unsalted butter
  7. Powdered sugar
  8. Vanilla extract
  9. Creamy peanut butter
  10. Milk 
  11. Milk chocolate chips

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

A bowl of cocoa powder and brown sugar.
A brownie in a baking dish on a stove.
A mixer is mixing peanut butter and powdered sugar together.

How to make Buckeye Brownies

Brownies:

  1. Preheat oven to 325℉. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
  2. Melt butter, then stir in cocoa. Add in sugar and eggs to the mixing bowl and stir together.
  3. Add in vanilla, flour, and salt and beat together well.
  4. Spoon batter into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Top with peanut butter layer and ganache.

Peanut butter layer:

  1. Place peanut butter and butter into medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy; scrape bowl.
  2. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt.
  3. Beat on low speed 1 minute; scrape bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Ganache:

  1. Melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave for 2 minutes in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, and mix until smooth.
  2. Spread on top of the frosting layer and let it cool until hardened.
Spatula spreading chocolate frosting on brownies.
A spoon is spreading ganache on top of brownies.
A pan of Buckeye Brownies with a corner piece missing to show the inside.

Storing and Other Tips

Store Buckeye Brownies in the refrigerator. This way, the peanut butter and ganache layers won’t soften too much. Take the brownies out of the fridge about 15 minutes ahead of serving.

You can use crunchy peanut butter, but it will not give the same texture we are looking to achieve for the chocolate and peanut butter layered brownies. 

THESE angled spatulas make spreading the chocolate ganache evenly very easy!

You can place the pan in the fridge to speed up the cooling process a bit. 

A fork is holding a piece of chocolate peanut butter brownies.

Enjoy More Delicious Brownies Recipes

There’s nothing better than an easy brownie or bar recipe. Check out our comprehensive list of brownies, bars, and blondies here.

2 Buckeye Brownies cut into squares and stacked

Buckeye Brownies

4.67 from 6 votes
These glorious buckeye brownies are the perfect mix of chocolate and peanut butter that will leave your taste buds asking for more.
Serving24 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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Ingredients

Brownie Layer:

  • 8 Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 cup butter (unsalted)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • pinch of salt

Peanut Butter Layer:

  • 1 cup peanut butter (creamy)
  • ½ cup butter, (softened)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 Tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt

Ganache Layer:

  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • ¾ cup butter

Equipment

Instructions

For The Brownies:

  1. Preheat oven to 325℉. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
  2. Melt butter, then stir in cocoa. Add in sugar and eggs to the mixing bowl and stir together.
  3. Add in vanilla, flour, and salt and beat together well.
  4. Spoon batter into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Top with peanut butter layer and ganache.

For the peanut butter layer:

  1. Place peanut butter and butter into medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy; scrape bowl.
  2. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt.
  3. Beat on low speed 1 minute; scrape bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

For the ganache:

  1. Melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave for 2 minutes in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, and mix until smooth.
  2. Spread on top of the frosting layer and let it cool until hardened.

Notes

If you are wanting to use a brownie box mix skip the brownie making step and replace it with the box steps for the brownies.

Nutrition

Calories: 451 kcal · Carbohydrates: 51 g · Protein: 6 g · Fat: 27 g · Saturated Fat: 14 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 7 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 76 mg · Sodium: 151 mg · Potassium: 128 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 38 g · Vitamin A: 574 IU · Calcium: 20 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Cuisine: American
Cost: $10
Author: Steph Loaiza
Course: Dessert
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Questions & Reviews

  1. LeeAnn says:

    This brownie looks amazing. My questions is do you cool the brownies before you put the peanut butter layer on?5 stars

  2. Cyd says:

    Yes, cool the brownies before adding the peanut butter layer.

  3. Dana Kitchin says:

    I made these for my family and to say the least, THEY LOVED THEM! The 3 steps are easy, require basic ingredients and the results are fantastic, delicious, and loved by all!5 stars

  4. Cyd says:

    So glad your family loved the buckeye brownies! They are some of our favorites!

  5. Diane says:

    Do they need to be refrigerated?

  6. Cyd says:

    If you don’t eat them in the first day or two, then place in a covered container in the fridge.

  7. Kristen Bell says:

    The peanut butter layer calls for salt in the directions but doesn’t have salt listed in the ingredients. How much salt should you use?

  8. Cyd Adamson says:

    You can leave it out all together or add a pinch. Especially if you are using salted butter.

  9. Amanda lange says:

    Just made these, such an easy recipe5 stars

  10. Sharla says:

    These brownies are the bomb! I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter together!5 stars

  11. Tony Anderson says:

    I liked these, but I think using oil might be better instead of butter.3 stars

  12. Rebecca W. says:

    I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but we only have a cheat day one day a week and there is no way we’d eat these all in one day. I plan to half the recipe, but I’m curious, do you know if these would freeze well? I figure if I’m already making them, and can freeze them, it would be nice to be able to just pull one or two out a week to munch on. Thank you!

  13. Momma Cyd says:

    You can definitely freeze them in an airtight freezer container or Freezer bag.

  14. Heather Canby says:

    I loved this recipe! They were amazing! Thank you for sharing!5 stars

Steph Loaiza
About The Author:

Steph Loaiza

Steph is recipe developer and bestselling cookbook author. Her advanced degrees in communication shape how she breaks down cooking techniques into simple, reliable steps for millions of home cooks around the world. Her work has been featured by Costco Connection, Women's Health, Taste of Home, and more.
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