Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel Brownies.
Dear Monday.
Why must you ruin lives?
You do things like fling entire pots of coffee on the floor while leaving ugly droplets on that pretty white dress and don’t even apologize. Then you take a certain someone’s keys and lock them inside while that person is outside… and the oven is on with a big fat chicken roasting in pan way too small. Not cool.
I also hear that you silence alarm clocks and blow out flat irons and hide the toothpaste. And this morning you made my bed feel eight million times warmer and more comfortable than it already is and you made me hit snooze and you made me eat that piece of coffee cake while standing over the sink in my workout clothes. Then you made me lay on the couch with a second piece of coffee cake while I searched for Nick and Vanessa’s Dream Wedding and you even threw that cashmere blanket from Restoration Hardware on top of me and made me take a nap… even with my shoes still on.
And really… was it you that made Ari Gold run to Dana Gordon?? Probably. You’re a life ruiner. You and Regina George.
So now here I sit covered in cake crumbs with my eyes half shut and no sweat or remnant of a workout to speak of. Which you know… doesn’t really matter because I ate SO MUCH HEALTHY STUFF WHILE ON VACATION. Lots of salads and grilled chicken and steamed fish and tons of broccoli. That sort of stuff I eat everyday.
Or not.
But seriously Monday… what really ruffles my feathers is that you just couldn’t make that stupid wedding appear on TV one more time for me. Whatever. I even scrolled through the guide until August 12th and that took a whopping 13 minutes and guess what? No sign of it. Not that I want to see that mess but really… I do.
Even with the coffee cake and skipped exercise, this other thing you made me do is far worse. I wanted to talk about a healthy dinner recipe today but you made me post these pretzel brownie thingies that I made last week. Yeah. Those ones. The ones that are the perfect mix of sweet and salty. The ones that are easily reversible. The ones I planned to take on our trip but then… ate. All of them.
You probably made me do that too. You’re such a bad influence.
Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2/3 cups chocolate chips, optional
- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 powdered sugar
- 1 3/4 cups crushed pretzel pieces
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8×8 baking dish and set aside.
- Combine melted butter and pretzel crumbs in a bowl until moistened. With the back of a spoon, press pretzels into the 8×8 pan making a crust. If pretzels seem loose, drizzle some additional melted butter over top of hit with a quick shot of non-stick spray.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. With the mixer on medium speed, add in cocoa, flour and salt, mixing until combined – about 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Using a spatula sprayed with non-stick spray, evenly spread brownies on top of pretzel crust. Set pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until brownies are baked through.
- When brownies have about 3 minutes left baking, melt peanut butter (I melted mine in the microwave in 30 second increments then stirring) in a bowl. Once melted, stir in 1/3 cup powdered sugar and mix until no lumps remain. Pour over warm brownies and spread evenly. Refrigerate brownies for 1-2 hours, then cut into bars and serve.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
Bye Monday. Go back from where ever you came from. [/donotprint]
279 Comments on “Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel Brownies.”
Oh man, that looks so rich and good.
wow what a treat! all good things rolled into one! great way to combat Mondays if i do say so myself :)
Hej,
I´m from germany and i love your recipes! I baked some of your cookies and i love it!
What kind of pretzels they are? Here in germany we have normally salted pretzels. Does i need them or look for others?
I just used regular salted pretzels! :)
Yes for the Regina George reference. I’m sure I’ve told you before how I’ve seen that movie 100 times or more.
Also, my word, you know how to make me drool. That fudge in the first shot – hallelujah. I need these brownies in my Monday.
Making these the next time I have to bake for work. Counting. Down.
Regina George punched me in the face once. It was awesome!
Four for you Glen Coco. You go Glen Coco!
Seriously??? That looks so ridiculously good, I think I have to stop everything and make them right now! never mind that it’s 90 in NYC, I am turning my oven on!
First off, this post is hilarious. Second, you have managed to include three of my favorite things into one brownie. You are brilliant.
Oh my goodness those look nummy!! Here’s to your Monday ending up on a good note ;)
Hey I’m thinkin’ Monday just got a whole lot better with these babies in my future Monday plans! Who said Mondays can’t be naughty!
OMG I searched all the way to mid-August for that little ditty as well. I have a measly 3 minutes in TiVO. Boo. I guess if we don’t watch it, it didn’t happen. Which means Nick and Jessica are still married happily ever after? I wish.
Yes!!
flipping. genius.
seriously =) salty and sweet is my fav combo =) other than cheesy and crunchy of course! hehe
Cheesy and crunchy… the best!
hello how sweet! i am so happy i found your blog. every day i look forward to seeing a new recipe etc. i then hesitantly click on the bookmark of your blog thinking i will find something non-fat and guilt free but secretly knowing i hope to find a post like this. then i say to you through my computer screen, “really? cut it out!” there are so many things you have FORCED me to make and eat. i now have to add these to the list!!! but these are only in an 8×8 so it really is a small portion and has the added bonus of protein from the peanut butter.
justification is a hobby of mine.
keep em comin!
Hahaha! You rock.
Hahaha…laughing at you scrolling through the guide on the TV…I have been that girl. I feel your pain :)
oh wowww, sorry about all of your monday misfortunes :(, but i’m glad monday made you do this!
Why oh why do you do this to me daily Jessica! These look irresistible and such a flavour combo! Gorgeous :)
Oh. My. Goodness. I need to make those. Right now. You are such a good photographer that I can almost taste them…ahhh. My son needs to wake up from his nap do I can go buy some pretzels! Yummmm! Thanks for making my Monday better (and my Tues filled with lots of exercise to compensate)!
If I wasn’t on vacation I would drop everything and make these this instant. These would make any crappy Monday 100% better!
These look amazing!!!!!! Thanks for making me drool all the time. :-)
I’m assuming that the 1/2 c of butter goes with the brownie part and the 6T of butter goes with the pretzels since the red velvet recipe that you changed this from has 1/2 cup and the directions with the pretzels say “melted butter”. Am I right?
Yep!
It´s look great!!!!!!!! i like the mix: pretzel-chocolate! cool!
:-)
oh.my.word. these look outstanding.
So Ari goes to Dana! Gah! I’m watching it tonight. That and TB:)
….These brownies make me hungry for dessert and it’s only quarter to 5!
It has been one of “THOSE” Mondays for me too!
Thanks for all the great writing and recipes really enjoy your site.
wowsa! this just might be my dessert for tomorrow’s dinner. we’re having company & these look impressive!
da da DANG! Those look INcredible!!!
Wow! You have outdone yourself again. :)
Oh man, Monday! Why must you put that awful (read: beautiful, scrumptious) peanut butter fudge stuff on a blog for everyone to read? My arteries are clogging as I scroll through the photos. Looks delis and will be making it tomorrow. Tuesday (and my husband) is going to kill me :) Happy baking!
That was hilarious! What’s not so funny is that I can only stare at the photos and the recipe and wistfully wish I had a plate (or even) one of those brownies in front of me. I will definitely save the recipe for leaner days though. Love it!
I am pretty sure that I want to come live with you. Those look AMAZING and I can’t wait to make them!
I’ve never heard of Regina George. I don’t what wedding you’re talking about. However, I do understand how these delicious brownies could appease all of my Monday blues! Wow!
i need these in my life right now. thanks for another amazing recipe. bookmarked yet another one of your recipes!!! you rule!
salty and sweet = my weakness. AND theres chocolate and crunch in there. amazing.
I’m going home immediately after work and making these. They will be a very nice follow up to your baked mini meatballs I will be making for dinner. :)
Mmmm you’re having a delicious dinner. :)
THOSE LOOK AMAZING!
Love the crumbs…
You make me laugh! I just love your blog!
Thanks Kristi!
I can’t even handle this. Everything I love smooshed into one gigantic pan of goodness. Holy smokes. Need. Now.
I like these specifically for the reason that you can flip some over and keep some “right side up” and it looks like you made two desserts! And the fact that they look delicious.
everything about these is undeniably awesome – except the “refrigerate 1 to 2 hours”. like that is going to happen! does anyone else dig out big gloopy spoonfuls of brownie right after they come out of the oven??
I know… trust me, I know.
These look soooooo baaaaaaaad. and by that I mean so amazingly delicious! I think I’ll have to make them this weekend. For my party. OTherwise I would eat the whole pan.
so, now I have plans for tomorrow! Look Great!
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YUM! My mother-in-law made my husband and me some of these (although she calls them “protein” bars) for our cross-country road trip…we ate about 10 a day. Each. SO GOOD!!
You know what else mondays do? They make messes of sugar as your pouring it into a pot to make jelly. Mondays also make pots of butter beans that you have cooking so you can put them up for future enjoyment this winter, explode from the lack of room & the abundance of foam. They make your life seem like an episode of I love Lucy. Thanks again Monday
A Mean Girls reference! Yes!
“Quit trying to make fetch happen. It’s NOT going to happen!”
ARE YOU F-ING KIDDING ME. Hi, how are you, you just made this the best monday ever.
You are the funniest thing alive. Also, I witnessed bacon soft serve ice cream at the beach last week and immediately thought of you!
this looks so delicious! even though i’m not crazy about bacon, i’m turning into you and i feel like this would be so much better with bacon.
speaking about bacon, this might be something you’d like:
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lol1cjS6CX1qcnw7to1_500.jpg
I was literally laughing out loud reading this, because I did the same EXACT thing with the Nick and Vanessa wedding. No luck. Maybe this is a secret sign he and Jessica are meant to get back together after all?