Vegan Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Brownies with PB Glaze
These vegan gluten-free peanut butter brownies with pb glaze require just 9 ingredients (plus sea salt). A dense, gooey peanut butter brownie is made with a combination of coconut sugar, peanut butter, oat flour, cacao powder, and almond milk. Then, a rich, fudge-like peanut butter glaze—made with cacao butter, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla—is poured over top and chilled to perfection.
Servings: 16 brownies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Brownies
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 ¼ cups natural peanut butter, stirred well before measuring*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups oat flour
- ⅓ cup cacao powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
Peanut Butter Glaze
- ¼ cup (1.2 ounces) chopped cacao butter
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter, stirred well before measuring*
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Instructions
For the Peanut Butter Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper (double-check your pan size, because 9x9-inch won’t work for this recipe—you'll end up with thin, dry brownies, so please don't do it).
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the coconut sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla on medium-high for 1 minute using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the oat flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and sea salt. Set within reach of the mixer.
- With the mixer off, add the oat flour mixture. Then, pour the almond milk over the oat flour mixture and begin beating on low. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 15 seconds, or until just incorporated. The dough should pull together into large, moist mounds as it moves around the mixing bowl. If the dough is dry and broken into small crumbles, add more almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until it pulls together.
- Transfer the dough to the lined pan and press into an even layer.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with several moist crumbs at the tip. Don’t over-bake.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.
For the Peanut Butter Glaze
- Prepare the glaze while the brownie cools.
- Add the cacao butter, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt to a medium saucepan.
- Heat over low heat and whisk constantly until about two-thirds of the cacao butter has melted. Then, remove the pan from the heat and continue whisking until the cacao butter melts completely and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Be careful not to overheat or scorch (or splash any water into the pan) or the cacao butter will seize and become gritty.
- Let cool for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
To Assemble
- Once the peanut butter brownie is completely cool, pour the peanut butter glaze over the brownie and tilt the pan back-and-forth to evenly coat the surface. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 20 minutes, or until the glaze has completely set. (It will lose its glossy sheen and take on a matte finish when set.)
- Grasp the edges of the parchment paper and gently lift the brownie from the pan. Slice into 16 squares.
- Store the brownies in the refrigerator to maintain a dense, chewy texture and to keep the glaze well set.
Notes
*FYI for shopping purposes, you'll need nearly an entire jar of peanut butter to make the brownies and glaze.