Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Vegan peanut butter swirl brownies are super gooey and fudgy, with rich peanut butter swirls in every bite! These feel like a decadent treat, you’d never know they’re made with just 6 healthy ingredients and fruit sweetened.

Happy Friday and happy September! I can’t believe how quickly summer flew by. I’m not sure if it’s the typical summer thing, or if it’s that I’m pregnant, but it just felt extra fast this year.

In the past couple years especially, I’ve started to love fall almost as much as I love summer. The cooler weather, pretty leaves, all things apple + pumpkin, anticipation of the holidays, and of course, Ohio State football, all make it such a fun time of year.

As an Ohio State alumni, buckeyes are by default one of my favorite treats. If you aren’t familiar (GET FAMILIAR, GIRL), they’re sweet, rich peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Basically, everything good in life. I have a 3 ingredient healthy version, and it’s still one of my all time fave recipes!

So, as a tribute to our buckeyes, today we’re basically making a rich, fudgy, gooey, brownie version of buckeyes. I’m taking inspiration from one of my all time favorite recipes, these almond butter swirl brownies. I’ve said it before, I’m almost always team almond butter over peanut butter. Don’t hate me! But I do make exceptions when it comes to anything buckeye related. The chocolate + PB combo just never disappoints.

These vegan peanut butter swirl brownies start with my favorite base brownie recipe. Those always come out super rich, gooey, and fudgy, and today, we’re just taking things up about 10 levels by adding dreamy swirls of PB.

Ingredients for vegan peanut butter swirl brownies

• Rolled oats: oats provide whole grains and just enough structure to hold the brownies together.
• Cocoa powder: cocoa powder gives the brownies plenty of dark chocolate flavor.
• Chickpeas: you’ll drain and rinse canned chickpeas, then blend them with the milk. This may sound strange, but you won’t taste them and they just help create a super gooey texture.
• Nondairy milk: I use unsweetened almond milk for neutral flavor, but any nondairy milk should work.
• Medjool dates: dates give the brownies natural, fruit sweetness.
• Peanut butter: you’ll swirl the peanut butter on top of the brownie batter in the pan to get some in every bite! Make sure to get natural, unsweetened and oil-free peanut butter to avoid unnecessary additives in a lot of store-bought nut butters.

Tips for making vegan peanut butter swirl brownies

• Mix the dry ingredients first. Make sure to mix the oat flour and cocoa powder before adding any of the other ingredients. This just makes it easier to get everything totally incorporated into a smooth batter.
• Use a nonstick or parchment-lined square pan. I use an 8 inch silicone pan which makes it very easy to remove the bars after baking. I highly recommend a silicone pan or lining with parchment paper so that the bars don’t stick.
• Runny peanut butter makes for easier swirling. Natural, unsweetened peanut butters may be a bit more thick, which could make swirls difficult. You can microwave your peanut butter to loosen it up, or create little discs and drop them evenly over the batter if it’s too thick to make swirls.
• Let the brownies cool completely. Let the brownies cool in the pan before turning them out onto a plate to continue cooling before you cut them. They’re very soft and gooey, so cutting or removing while they’re still warm would be a mess.

These vegan peanut butter swirl brownies are SO gooey and fudgy, and full of chocolate flavor. Add the rich peanut butter swirls in every bite, and you’ll seriously be in dessert heaven.

ALMOST as good as buckeye football in the fall.

Xo,

Sara