My favorite buckeye combo of chocolate and peanut butter is front and center in these vegan buckeye brownies! Rich, fudgy brownies with a layer of peanut butter right in the middle. These are SO indulgent, but they’re full with healthy ingredients, totally gluten free and naturally sweet.
Hello, friends! Hope you’re all having a lovely day wherever you are on this beautiful planet. This girl is loving life lately for about a million reasons, one of those being that it’s officially football season! Which means that every Saturday you can find me and my husband cheering on our alma mater, the Ohio State buckeyes, while of course simultaneously eating some bomb football food.
Buckeyes of course are a classic, but honestly, a little labor intensive (or at least by my standards, haha). I wanted the classic, irresistible buckeye flavor combination of chocolate + peanut butter, but wasn’t in the mood to do the whole melting/covering in chocolate thing. So, vegan buckeye brownies were born, and they’re absolutely just as divine as the candies they’re inspired by.
The layer of peanut butter isn’t meant to be solid or visible after baking, but instead it sort of melts into brownies and makes them insanely gooey and lush. You need these in your life whether you’re a buckeye or not!
Ingredients for making vegan buckeye brownies
- Chickpeas: you’ll use drained and rinsed canned chickpeas for the base of the brownies, which provides tons of nutrition and a super rich and gooey texture.
- Nondairy milk: milk brings the brownie batter together. I use unsweetened almond milk for neutral flavor, but any nondairy milk should work.
- Medjool dates: you’ll blend the dates with hot water to make a paste, which naturally sweetens the brownies.
- Rolled oats: you’ll blend the oats to flour consistency, which helps hold them together.
- Cocoa powder: cocoa gives the brownies rich chocolate flavor.
- Vegan chocolate chips: I like the Lily’s stevia-sweetened chips, but use any vegan chocolate chips you like.
- Peanut butter: these brownies have a layer of peanut butter between two layers of brownie batter, making them super rich and creamy. Make sure to get oil-free, unsweetened peanut butter to avoid a lot of added junk in store-bought nut butters.
Tips for making vegan buckeye brownies
- Layer brownie batter, then peanut butter, then the remaining brownie batter. Once the batter is ready, you’ll put some into the pan, then spread on a layer of peanut butter, then pour on the remaining brownie batter. The layer of peanut butter isn’t meant to be solid or visible after baking, but instead it sort of melts into brownies and makes them super rich.
These vegan buckeye brownies are everything you could ever dream of! The combo of chocolate + peanut butter will just never NOT be absolutely incredible. Make them for football parties, or for a random Tuesday night cause you’re amazing and you deserve some brownies.
Xo,
Sara
Vegan Buckeye Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 batch vegan brownies – I left the chocolate chips out of the batter, and instead melted some on top after baking
- 1/2 cup oil-free, unsweetened peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare the brownie batter and pour about half the batter into a nonstick square pan.
- Spread the peanut butter evenly over the brownie batter, then carefully spread the remaining brownie batter over the top of the peanut butter.
- Bake the brownies for 40 minutes, then let them cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before cutting.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
