If you are a chocolate, peanut butter and caramel lover, then these snicker brownie bars are for you! The fudgy brownie layer nicely balances the gooey, melt in your mouth peanut butter caramel layer which is studded with roasted peanuts. Coated in dark chocolate and finished with a sprinkling of sea salt, these snicker brownie bars are a fun treat to make and indulge in!
How to Make Fudgy Brownie Recipe
When I originally created this recipe, I went for a cakey brownie base. Although the bars turned out scrumptious, I knew that a fudgy brownie would be a better fit. This fudgy brownie recipe is a breeze to make and literally requires less than 10 ingredients. Here is what you will need to make recipe:
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Unsweetened Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
- Egg
- Dark Chocolate Bar – May use semi-Sweet or bittersweet chocolate bar. Recipe can also be made with chocolate chips in place of chocolate bar.
- Unsalted Butter
- Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract
Tips for Making the Best Fudgy Brownies
- Use Cocoa Powder and Good Quality Chocolate – for the best chocolate flavor in brownies, I like to add some cocoa powder, preferably Dutched-processed cocoa powder into brownie batter. I find that the cocoa powder adds extra chocolate flavor and helps to balance out the overall sweetness of brownies. Additionally, using good quality chocolate will inevitably yield a brownie packed with rich chocolate flavor. An added bonus to using good quality chocolate is that it melts beautifully. My go-to chocolates for making brownies are Ghirardelli, Lindt or Baker’s chocolates.
- Beat Eggs Until Thick and Aerated – beat eggs with sugar until mixture doubles in size and appears pale yellow in appearance, about 3-5 minutes. From several tests, I found that beating the eggs until aerated before mixing in slightly warm melted chocolate always resulted in super fudgy brownies with a nice crackle surface. Aerated eggs also act as a leavener since most brownie recipes do not have any raising agents like baking powder or baking soda.
- Use Butter and Oil – using both butter and oil in my brownie recipes is a new discovery that I am completely obsessed with. You are literally getting the best of both worlds where the butter adds amazing flavor to brownies while the oil helps brownies to maintain fudgy texture even days after it has been baked. One thing to keep in mind is to use an oil that has a neutral flavor, for example, vegetable, grapeseed or avocado oil. Try to avoid overly flavorful oils like olive or coconut oil unless those are flavors that you want present in brownies.
- Do not Overbake – overbaking brownies will essentially result in brownies that are anything but fudgy. The goal here is to bake brownies just to the point that they are almost done. A good test is to insert a toothpick into the center of brownies. If the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, brownies are done and should be removed from the oven. If the toothpick comes out completely dry, brownies have been overbaked.
Easy Caramel Sauce
This 6 ingredient caramel sauce is super easy to make and comes together in less than 15 minutes. It is my go recipe whenever I am making a dessert that calls for caramel sauce. Here is what you will need to make easy caramel sauce:
Key Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar
- Water
- Heavy Cream
- Unsalted Butter
- Lemon Juice or Vinegar
- Vanilla Extract
To make caramel sauce simply add the sugar, water and lemon juice/vinegar into a medium heavy bottom saucepan. Dissolve sugar under medium low heat before increasing heat to medium high. Cook sugar syrup until color changes to a rich golden brown color. Remove caramel from heat and whisk in the warmed heavy cream followed by the butter, vanilla extract and salt. Transfer caramel sauce to a heat safe container and allow to cool to room temperature before using.
Snicker Brownie Bars Assembly
- Bake brownie and cool to room temperature.
- Whisk caramel sauce and peanut butter together to combine before mixing in roughly chopped peanuts.
- Spoon and spread peanut butter caramel over cooled brownie.
- Sprinkle top of peanut butter caramel with remaining whole peanuts.
- Refrigerate peanut butter caramel brownie until firm to touch.
- Cut peanut butter caramel brownie into 8 equal bars.
- Coat bars in melted chocolate.
- Drizzle remaining chocolate over bars and sprinkle with sea salt before serving.
How to Store Bars
Bars stored in an airtight container will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator and 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to serve frozen bars, thaw in the fridge to restore soft texture.
Looking for More Scrumptious Eats, Checkout the Links Below:
If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintSnicker Brownie Bars
If you are a chocolate, peanut butter and caramel lover, then these snicker brownie bars are for you! The fudgy brownie layer nicely balances the gooey, melt in your mouth peanut butter caramel layer which is studded with roasted peanuts. Coated in dark chocolate and finished with a sprinkling of sea salt, these snicker brownie bars are a fun treat to make and indulge in!
- Prep Time: 1 Hour (Not including Refrigeration Time)
- Cook Time: 35 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 Bars 1x
Ingredients
Fudgy Brownie Layer
- 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons (94 g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon (13 g) Dutch-Processed Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ⅛ Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons (75 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg, Cold
- 3 Ounces (85 g) Dark Chocolate, Finely Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Caramel Sauce
- 1 Cup (200 g) Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 Cup (177 ml) Heavy Cream, Warmed to Hot Not Boiled
- 1/4 Cup (60 ml) Water
- 1/4 Cup (57 g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice/Vinegar (Apple Cider or White)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
Peanut Butter Caramel Layer
- 1 Cup (113 g) Salted Roasted Peanuts, Whole, Divided
- 3/4 Cup (170 g) Homemade or Store-Bought Caramel Sauce, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup (113 g) Creamy Peanut Butter
Assembly
- 7 Ounces (198 g) Dark Chocolate
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable Oil
- Sea Salt, Optional
Instructions
Fudgy Brownie Layer
- Preheat the oven to 350F(175C). Line a 9×5 inch bread pan with parchment paper. All four sides of the baking pan should be lined with parchment paper. This will make it easier to remove bars from the pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add and whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, add the chocolate, butter and oil and melt into a smooth mixture over a double boiler or on high in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals. Chocolate mixture should be stirred intermittently to prevent it from not melting properly and/or burning.
- Set melted chocolate mixture aside to cool slightly as the rest of the ingredients are prepared.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar. With a hand-held electric mixer, beat ingredients together at medium speed until mixture doubles in size and takes on a pale yellow appearance, about 3-4 minutes.
- Mix slightly cooled melted chocolate and vanilla extract into wet batter at medium high speed until all of the chocolate is incorporated, about 30-60 seconds.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the flour mixture into wet batter, about 1-2 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and base of the bowl before mixing the brownie batter at medium speed for an additional 30-60 seconds. This will help to ensure a properly mixed batter free of any unmixed ingredients.
- Spoon brownie batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 18-20 minutes rotating the pan halfway through bake time. Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow brownie to cool completely to room temperature.
Caramel Sauce
- Fill a small bowl halfway with water. Place the bowl and a pastry brush near the side of the stove where caramel sauce will be prepared.
- Add the sugar, water, and lemon juice (or vinegar) into a medium heavy bottom saucepan under medium low heat.
- Whisk sugar mixture together until all of the sugar is dissolved and no granules are present, about 1-2 minutes.
- Dampen pastry brush in the bowl with water. Use a clean kitchen towel to remove excess water if needed.
- Use the dampened pastry brush to remove any sugar granules from the sides of the saucepan. Dip pastry brush back into bowl with water to remove sugar granules and repeat the process if needed.
- Increase heat to medium high to bring sugar syrup to a boil.
- Once sugar syrup starts to boil, refrain from stirring or whisking.
- Allow syrup to boil until it reaches a rich golden brown (amber) color, about 4-6 minutes. This change in color occurs quickly so watch syrup attentively as it boils to prevent caramel from burning.
- Remove caramel from heat. Carefully pour and whisk warmed heavy cream into caramel. As the cream is added to heated caramel, the mixture will bubble up profusely.
- Whisk in the butter, salt and vanilla extract into caramel sauce.
- Pour caramel sauce into a heat safe container and allow to cool completely before using.
Peanut Butter Caramel Layer
- Roughly chop half of the whole peanuts.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the room temperature (slightly thicken) caramel and peanut butter. Whisk ingredients together to combine.
- Use a silicone spatula to mix peanuts into peanut butter caramel.
Assembly
- Spoon peanut butter caramel over cooled brownie. Use a spatula to flatten caramel into an even layer.
- Evenly sprinkle the remaining whole peanuts over peanut butter caramel and lightly press peanuts into caramel layer.
- Apply plastic/cling wrap directly over peanut butter caramel and refrigerate bars for 5-6 hours or preferably overnight. Bars are ready to be cut and dipped into chocolate once firm to touch.
- Use parchment paper to remove peanut butter caramel brownie from the baking pan.
- Use a sharp knife to cut brownie into 8 equal bars. Transfer bars to a medium parchment lined baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the freezer.
- Prepare coating by melting chocolate and oil together either over a double boiler or on high in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Chocolate mixture should be mixed as it is melted to help prevent it from burning.
- Allow chocolate to cool slightly for 6-8 minutes before using.
- Remove bars from the freezer. Use a fork to bars one at time in melted chocolate.
- Chocolate coated bars should be transferred back to parchment lined baking sheet. I used a toothpick to help slide chocolate coated bars off the fork and onto the baking sheet.
- Place chocolate coated bars back in the freezer to set for 8-10 minutes or until chocolate no longer appears wet.
- Transfer remaining chocolate to a pastry or Ziplock bag before removing set bars from the freezer. If chocolate no longer has a pourable consistency, simply warm in the microwave on high for 10-15 seconds to restore pourable consistency.
- Snip the tip (about 1/8 inch) of pastry or Ziplock bag and drizzle chocolate over bars. May use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over bars.
- Sprinkle sea salt or finely chopped roasted peanuts over bars before serving.
Notes
- Bars stored in an airtight container will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator and 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to serve frozen bars, thaw in the fridge to restore soft texture.
- Caramel sauce recipe yields 1 cup. 3/4 cup is used in recipe. The remaining 1/4 cup of caramel sauce stored in a sealed jar will last upto 1 week in the fridge.
- I used dark chocolate baking bars in recipe but semi-sweet or bittersweet baking chocolate bars or chips may be used.
- Store-bought caramel sauce may be used in place of making caramel sauce from scratch.