Peanut butter brownies are like a party in your mouth! These amazing keto brownies are topped with a rich sugar free peanut butter fudge and a sweet chocolate glaze. Perfect for any occasion. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
Can I confess that I am having a ball going back and re-vamping old posts and recipes like this peanut butter brownie recipe?
I create so many recipes, it’s hard to know how many there are in my archives. Thousands, for sure. And given that I write recipes for other websites in addition to my blog, and that I write all sorts of new recipes for my series of keto cookbooks, I can’t even fathom how many keto recipes I have made. And surely there are some I’ve almost forgotten about.
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But I could never ever forget about these amazing peanut butter brownies. These have been on my mind since I first made them way back in 2013.
Buckeye Brownies go low carb
Are you a buckeye fan? These are also known as Buckeye Brownies. What the heck are buckeyes, you ask?
Good question. I’d never heard of them either until I began blogging about food. Which feels like a million years ago now because I feel like I’ve been a food blogger all my life. It was what I was destined to be, my friends!
Okay so the Ohio Buckeye is the state tree of Ohio, and it produces a nut that resembles a chestnut. Buckeye trees are also known as horse chestnuts.
That nut is the inspiration for buckeye candy, which is a ball of peanut butter fudge dipped in chocolate, made to resemble the buckeye nut.
WHOA! Wait a second, did you just say peanut butter fudge? Oh heck yeah, I did! And I will say it again. Peanut butter fudge, peanut butter fudge, peanut butter fudge. Who doesn’t love peanut butter fudge?
Buckeyes are so beloved in Ohio and that love has extended far and wide, so that now almost anything made with peanut butter and chocolate can be referred to as “buckeye”. I am not above exploiting that love of peanut butter and chocolate. Because I love it too and will eat just about anything made with these two ingredients. It’s hard for me to resist.
How to Make Keto Peanut Butter Brownies
- Begin with the best, fudgiest, gooiest keto brownies around. I had a pretty great recipe back in the day but ever since I discovered using a little gelatin to improve the chewiness of my keto cookies and brownies, I’ve been using my Ultimate Keto Brownies recipe as the base for any brownie recipe.
- Use quality ingredients like Bob’s Red Mill almond flour. Not all almond flour is created equal, my friends. You may have heard me expound on this before and you will hear me expound on it again. Finely ground blanched almond flour is a MUST for all of your keto baked goods.
- Use the creamiest peanut butter you can find. A lot of natural peanut butters aren’t as creamy as I would like and have that thick layer of oil on the top. I have two that I really like: Justin’s and Thrive Market. Both are very creamy and not overly oily, and make the peanut butter fudge layer on these brownies so creamy and delicious.
- Use enough powdered Swerve to thicken the peanut butter layer so that it’s spreadable but not too thin. You really want this to be like a fudge layer on top of the brownies.
- Make a creamy sugar free chocolate ganache to go on top. I did some where I spread the ganache and some where I just drizzled it. You could spread the whole batch with a thin layer of the chocolate ganache. Or you could do as I did and cut the peanut butter brownies up first, and then drizzle or spread as you see fit.
Really, I am just so happy that I decided to tackle these keto peanut butter brownies again. The original version was very very good and I loved them. This new version, 5 years later, is even better. It feels like I’ve discovered the joy of Buckeye Brownies all over again!
Be sure to check out this Peanut Butter Fudge from Texanerin too!
Peanut butter brownies are like a party in your mouth! These fudgy keto brownies are topped with a rich sugar free peanut butter fudge and a sweet chocolate glaze.
- 1 recipe Ultimate Keto Brownies
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup powered Swerve Sweetener sifted
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
- 3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
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Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, with an overhang for easy removal. Prepare the keto brownie batter as directed and pour into the pan. Bake the brownies as directed and let cool in the pan.
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In a smal saucepan over medium heat, melt together peanut butter and butter. Stir in vanilla and salt.
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Stir in powdered Swerve a little at a time until the mixture thickens to a spreadable consistency. Spread over cooled brownies and refrigerate 1 hour, until set.
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In a small saucepan, heat the cream until just simmering. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes to melt.
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Add the sweetener and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Let sit a few minutes to thicken, then spread or drizzle over the peanut butter layer.
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Lift brownies out by edges of parchment paper and cut into squares.
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
I love this, as would my mom. The hardest thing about being a diabetic for her is losing her sweets. These brownies are totally up her alley. They look amazing. I’m glad you had such an awesome vacation and that you’re rejuvenated and ready for fall. You sound it, that’s for sure. 🙂
Candi says
need to share with the diabetics out there…my dad was a diabetic and had flash pulmonary edema and had to cut out salt…after a couple months he diabetes was GONE!!
Stephanie says
What is the difference between unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder? I have yet to find a 100% Chocolate Bar. Am I confusing cacao with chocolate?
Carolyn says
Do you happen to live outside of North America? Because I’ve heard that Australia doesn’t sell unsweetened chocolate. Around the US and Canada, it’s just baking chocolate, with no sweetener in it (just cocoa solids and cocoa butter). Cocoa powder is the powdery stuff with no cocoa butter (cacao butter, same thing) in it.
Tonna Fuston says
3 level tablespooons of cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon of butter or shortening equals 1 square cube of unsweetened baking chocolate
Maria Isais says
These look fabulous and I bet the taste is simply delicious. Do you use a particular brand of peanut butter?
Carolyn says
I go for the really creamy natural kinds. I don’t like the fresh ground, to be honest. As long as it’s super creamy, it’s good.
Sarah G says
Yes, I was missing your recipes. I’m glad you had a fun, family vacation though…unplugged so that you could plug into your family!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
These look too good to be true!
James Neno says
These are fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Barb says
Absolutely NO type of flour??? Is it like a custard consistency?
Carolyn says
The brownies? No, not custardy. They firm up beautifully without flour.
Cyndi says
Can you use splenda instead of the erythritol?
Carolyn says
I have no idea. I really doubt it would cook up the same and thicken the fudge in the same way.
Hillary says
Cyndi I was just wondering if you’ve made these and if so, did you try the splenda?? I’m starting low carb next week and splenda is what I’d planned to use as my sweetener for everything, as I’ve read too many people saying stevia has a horrible bitter aftertaste.
Lori says
Splenda is not low carb friendly. I learned that the hard way. It has one carb per packet. Try stevia! Same great taste with no carbs.
Ruthy @ Omeletta says
I have 100% bribed/begged employees for wifi passwords, so I totally get it! I have a leeetle bit of a difficult time totally switching off. Glad you had a relaxing vacay away- and that you brought back these delicious GF brownies! I love PB & chocolate together.
Carolyn says
Dave will be thrilled to know he’s in good company! 😉
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Totally decadent! Yum!
Joy says
I don’t have Swerve, just erythritol. Can I powder it in the blender? Has anyone tried this? Thanks!
Carolyn says
A blender might not powder it fine enough. Do you have a coffee grinder?
Joy says
I’ve got a coffee grinder and a vitamix. I’ll try the grinder first. Thanks for the reply. 🙂
Joy says
I used the coffee grinder to powder the erythritol and it worked beautifully! Got these brownies cooling in my fridge right now. 🙂
Carolyn says
Good to know!
Rebecca says
Did you measure before or after grinding the erythritol?
Alison says
I used my blender and it worked beautifully. They are delicious BTW.
Mariam says
I did wonder where you had been, but I got my fix by just visiting your web site and reading old posts I haven’t gotten to yet…. do you suppose coconut oil would work in place of butter?
Carolyn says
It may seep out a bit more in the brownie portion but I do think it would work. Once the brownies are baked, it will reabsorb.
Brenda @Sugar-Free Mom says
You have outdone yourself on this one, DROOL! Good for you for the family time and being unplugged!
Tammy Hammock says
I’m diabetic and have switched from using sugar to using Truvia (I even got my hubby to drink his sweet tea with it and now he doesn’t like it any other way). Will the baking blend of Truvia work in this recipe? I have a sister in law who has celiac disease and she is a brownie freak and I know she would love this!
Carolyn says
Yes, Truvia should work but you will need to powder it for the fudge portion.
Tammy says
How do you do that? I’m just learning to modify some things any tips are appreciated!
Carolyn says
I’ve never done it but people say a coffee grinder or a magic bullet works well to powder things like erythritol and truvia.
Tammy says
Thank you for the tips! I’ll try it soon and let you know how it worked out!
Karen says
Can you use coconut sugar in place of the Swerve? If so, is it 1:1? Thanks much-this looks yummy!
Carolyn says
I have no idea, I haven’t ever used coconut sugar. Sorry! It’s worth a try, I suppose.
Gabriella Reeve says
Yes! You can use coconut sugar…..I uses half coconut sugar and half Truvia and they turned out great!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
Bahaha. Thank goodness for your brother in law! Just for the important blog questions and things like that, of course. 😉
And these look amazing! Love the peanut butter layer on top.
Roxanne says
I have, believed for ages, that technology is here to serve me not I it. So I check answer phone, email and newsletters when I want/need to. Shocking I know ;). We all need to rest as well as work. Coping with the stress of life is a skill I continue to work at. I think one of the best things I did for my kid was to take care of my needs which in turn taught him he has the right to do the same (not easiest for me). His protection and safety was a given priority. Still I found there is time enough as 10% is as much or more than necessary for me. As women we, often, like to care for everyone but do we need to. Are we fully in touch with the abilities of others. Can be a bit arrogant I think to presume only I can know what is best for anyone else. Saying no was (and is) a hard learned skill that has reaped benefit for myself and my loved ones, friends, neighbours ……… glad you took time to recharge. No apology needed. Take very good care. Roxanne
PS do you know of any substitution formula for sucralose vs swerve? My budget is small and the small availability of supplies make swerve very expensive.lrd
Carolyn says
Serve measures cup for cup like sugar so sub in sucralose in the amount you would for sugar. However, recipes like this do rely on the bulk properties of erythritol and I don’t know that sucralose will work. You can give it a try, though.
RavieNomNoms says
These look like they should be in a magazine! Nicely done!
Kammy says
These were great! I made a batch of these Wednesday night knowing i would need a pick-me-up when i got back from dropping off my youngest at college on Thursday. I still miss him but at least I was able to stay on plan 🙂
Thanks for a great, simple recipe
Asmita says
I love your presentation. It’s so beautiful! The brownies look amazing and it’s wonderful that they are low carb and gluten free.
Wendy says
Yum. Just made thes today. They are soooo good. Not as prett as yours but not too bad.
I have a question about erythrathol – tried to substitute it for sugar in leamon sorbet recipe. It was a disaster. The erythrathol reacrystalized when the mixture got cold. Is there a way around that?
Laura says
I made these the other day and they looked great. But when I took a bite they were WAY too sweet, so much so that they gave me headaches! I did a quick google and found that erythritol can cause headaches so I think next time I’ll use less sweetner. Otherwise a good sweet tooth fix. The next day it didn’t taste as sweet.
Stacey says
I made these today and found that the brownies were NOT done even with about 18 mins, so you may want to increase your time for the brownies. When I try this recipe again, I will try 21-23 mins probably as the brownie did not set up on my batch today except for the very outer edges.
Stacey says
I should also add, but they still taste AMAZING, very rich but VERY delicious.
Carolyn says
I am coming to the conclusion that different brands of chocolate and cocoa can make a big difference. Also, oven temps vary a lot, that’s why recipes always state “bake x minutes OR until…” Sounds like your oven is running a bit low maybe.
Gabriella Reeve says
Same here. I had to cook them exactly 22 minutes to get the results Carolyn describes. Just got a new oven too. I’m at sea level. 🙂
Shel says
Made just the brownie layer as the low-carb and gluten free standby at my son’s birthday. At 18 minutes brownie top looked too wet to even consider taking out, 5 more minutes and there were still shiny spots but it looked (and turned out) great. I might take them out a little earlier next time, I like things a touch gooey. Has anyone tried making one of the variations on these brownies in a Baker’s Edge brownie pan?
Vicki says
Anyone try these with a substitute for the butter such as applesauce or date purée? I am trying to do sugar-free, low carb, and keep my cholesterol under control as well. Thanks for any replys!
Cathy says
Hi,
Just wanted to let you know I am sharing your wonderful recipe tomorrow in my Gluten-Free Recipe RoundUp with a link back to your original post!
Have a terrific weekend!
Cathy from APeekIntoMyParadise.com
chris says
How is there only 54 net carbs in the entire batch? The Swerve alone totals 360!!
Per the recipe: use 3/4 Cup Swerve sweetener for brownie portion
Swerve has 5g carbs per teaspoon (per their linked website)
There are 48 tsp per cup so 48 * 3/4 = 36 tsp in 3/4 Cup
36 tsp * 5 carbs per tsp equals 180 carbs
If you add the peanut butter fudged your adding another 3/4 cup of swerve so your doubling the carbs to 360!
So the swerve alone is putting 20 carbs per serving, assuming 18 servings….that is not low carb. A box of regular brownies has 384 net carbs in 16 servings, that’s only 24 carbs per serving.
Carolyn says
You do realize that erythritol does not affect blood sugar and therefore is not counted into carbs, correct? As a diabetic, I have tested this over and over on myself. I am confident in it. Please research your sweeteners before accusing me like this.
Cecily says
In the research that I’ve done many sources state that sugar alcohols do indeed spike blood sugar levels as well. I’m glad that you’ve seen no adverse effects though, I do however notice a difference in my blood sugar if i consume high amounts of sugar alcohols.
Carolyn says
Please do some research on erythritol explicitly because I think you will find that the majority of people do NOT experience a rise in blood sugar. I have always been very careful to say that not all sugar alcohols are created equal.
Carolyn says
You should check out this graph and research: http://www.swervesweetener.com/swerve-diabetes/
Michelle says
I made this tonight, my husband loves anything peanut butter! These were awful! They look wonderful but the brownie part was just awful!
Carolyn says
I am sorry you feel that way. Everyone I know loves them. What did you not like? It’s hard to help with no specifics.
charlotte says
do you think i could make just the fudge? what would i put it in if so?
charlotte says
do you think i could make just the fudge? what would i put it in if so?
Carolyn says
Yes, I think you could. You’d want a smaller pan. Maybe a loaf pan? Make sure to line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
charlotte says
thank you!
Susan says
I made these yesterday for my daughter’s birthday party. Although there was ice cream cake, chocolate cake and vanilla cupcakes, I wanted to have a sugar free dessert option. I thought they were amazing. My niece and my daughter loved them too. The only changes I made to the recipe were, I used Splenda instead of Swerve and I was too lazy to make the chocolate drizzle, so I sprinkled sugar free chocolate chips on top. I would like to add, they were very easy to make and for someone who does not bake, that says a lot.
Carolyn says
Thanks for your feedback, Susan!
Mindy says
These were fantastic! I used salted butter because it didn’t specify but now that I’m going to try other recipes I need to know. When the recipe calls for butter is it a general understanding that it’s unsalted? Or salted?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Hi Mindy,
I have a high tolerance for salt so I usually use salted. But that’s personal preference, I think.
ye says
Hi I just tried this. When I stirred in the second egg, there was suddenly a lot of water/liquid separated out from the batter. I had to pour away the watery part and the rest of it seemed to have baked well. But what could be the problem? I had let the chocolate/butter batter cool for 5 minutes but maybe that was not long enough? Thanks for all your recipes btw! I’ve made a lot of good ones that wowed my guests!
Carolyn says
Don’t pour anything off. It takes all 5 eggs for the whole thing to whisk back together. Basically, the chocolate seizes and then unseizes again.
ye says
thank you for your response!! it came out well enough but i’ll definitely try it again!
Helen McEvoy says
I have just discovered these. Made them this afternoon and was dubious to use organic crunch peanut butter as that’s all I had and I only had a granulated sweetener. Oh my goodness, they are fantastic !!!!
The fudge topping had a cheeky little crunch to it and the brownie base is fab too! I admit I did put it in the freezer to set it for 1/2 hr as I didn’t think it would set but, oh yes it did. Love love love them!!!!
Dana says
Hello there,
I made this last night and this turned out amazing. This will be my go to recipe when Im craving sweets!
Thank you for such a great recipe.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Dana!
Angela says
OH MY!
This is setting up in the fridge as I type this….I don’t think I can wait that long! The smells, the teensie taste “tests” while putting it all together….all have me impatiently tapping my foot for the minutes to hurry along.
I LOVE your recipes, Carolyn!
Tom says
This was sooo delicious! The brownie layer also took longer in my oven, about 25 minutes, it seems like a lot of people had this issue. After several hours, we tried it and it was like a tasty pudding. But after 24 hours in the fridge, it was just like a two layer fudge, so rich and decadent! I initially thought 18 servings was odd, but it really is the perfect amount since this is such a rich treat. Really, really divine!!
Carolyn says
Thanks. I think it must be a difference in almond flour that is giving some people trouble with the brownie bast. What brand did you use?
Tom says
There isn’t any flour in this brownie base. I wonder if your oven runs hot, ours are running cold? It doesn’t really matter, the brownies are delicous! We’re still eating them as I won’t let myself have more than 1/18th per day, it’s plenty!
Carolyn says
Sorry, I’ve made a number of variations on brownies and thought this one had some almond flour in it. It’s really hard to say, could also be the brand of unsweetened chocolate. As long as it still worked!
Nichole says
I just wanted to say I love this dessert, these are my go-to low carb brownies. All of it is wonderful, but the the peanut butter fudge is so good I have even made it by itself (double the ingredients and pour it into a greased 8×8 pan). So it’s like you’ve shared two treats all in one recipe!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Nichole!
Kareena says
Hi I’m in Australia
I made these they taste YUK
I don’t know if we did something wrong I used stevia as the sweetener IDK if it’s different to the recipe
I used cooking choc
I read the above comment on the Australia doesn’t have unsweetened choc.
Old help they where totally yum taste wrong…..
Carolyn says
Sorry, I have no idea. I don’t know what cooking chocolate is and I have no idea what kind of stevia you used.
Amanda says
Just made this yesterday, and am pretty pleased with the results. I have to say that, like many people have noted, my brownie base took FOREVER to set in the oven – a full half hour. I used Ghirardelli 100% cacoa for my unsweetened chocolate, and also Ghirardelli cocoa powder. Overall, great recipe.
Carolyn says
I often use Ghirardelli so I don’t think that is the issue. It must be oven temperature or the kind of pan you are using. Or a combo of both. Thanks for the feedback.
Evan Halperin says
These taste great, though i definitely under cooked the brownies. They turned out more fudge like rather than a bit more cake like. They still taste good, they just need to cook longer and cool longer
stef says
My husband loves everything peanut butter and chocolate. He would go crazy for these!! They sound amazing.
Krissy Allori says
Anything with peanut butter and fudge sounds good in my books!
Emily Hill says
I can’t believe these are keto-friendly. They look way too decadent and unhealthy. YUM!
Aimee Shugarman says
You just went and made my favorite keto brownie recipe even better!! LOVE these.
Katerina @ diethood .com says
WOW!! These look and sound absolutely amazing!! Can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Rachael Yerkes says
I may eat the entire pan!!
Gina Baughn says
These have to be my favorite Keto dessert so far! Carolyn I’m so thankful for your website whenever I need a recipe I come straight here. It has saved me from wasting countless ingredients on recipes that don’t turn out. I’ve never made anything that I don’t love from your site. These brownies are Gooey and delicious my children all gobbled them up as well.
I’ve lost close to 40 pounds going low-carb. And you’ve helped to keep me on track, even with my killer Sweet tooth!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it, Gina…and congrats on your weight loss!
Hillary Bleiker says
These are amazing! I made these last night; they take a few steps, but are sooooooooooooooo worth it.
Carolyn says
Glad you like them!
shawnna says
OOOH so good! I could tell my brownie batter was thin enough and chose not to add the water. They were perfection! The addition of the peanut butter and chocolate on top was divine! Thank you again, Carolyn – your recipes are always fantastic.
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Kim Pitts says
Best Brownies Ever!!! I refrigerated them and they are even better the next day! They are rich but still dangerous…I could keep eating them they are so good!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!