Sourdough Brownies Peanut Swirl (Print out)

Moist chocolate squares blended with sourdough discard topped by a smooth peanut butter swirl.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chocolate & Butter

01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter
02 - 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

→ Wet Ingredients

03 - 1/2 cup sourdough discard, unfed
04 - 1 cup granulated sugar
05 - 2 large eggs
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
08 - 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Swirl

10 - 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
11 - 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
02 - Combine butter and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in 30-second intervals, stirring between each burst until completely smooth. Allow to cool for 3 minutes.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sourdough discard, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
04 - Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the wet ingredient bowl and whisk until smooth and fully integrated.
05 - Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt directly into the chocolate mixture. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface evenly with a spatula.
07 - In a small bowl, mix peanut butter with powdered sugar if desired until smooth. Drop spoonfuls of the peanut butter mixture across the brownie batter. Using a skewer or knife, gently swirl the peanut butter into the batter in a decorative pattern.
08 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until the center is just set and a toothpick inserted in the thickest area emerges with moist crumbs rather than wet batter.
09 - Allow brownies to cool completely in the pan before cutting into 16 squares. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You finally have a delicious reason to keep that sourdough discard instead of watching it go to waste.
  • These brownies are impossibly moist without being gummy, and the peanut butter swirl adds a salty-sweet contrast that keeps you reaching for another square.
  • The whole thing comes together in under an hour, which means you can have warm brownies with your afternoon coffee.
02 -
  • Unfed sourdough discard is the secret—fed or thick starter changes the texture because it contains different amounts of liquid and active fermentation.
  • Don't bake until the toothpick comes out clean; that's how you end up with dry, cakey brownies that taste like regret.
03 -
  • Room-temperature ingredients mix together more evenly, so pull your eggs and butter out of the fridge thirty minutes before you start.
  • If your peanut butter is thick and resistant to swirling, mix in a teaspoon of softened butter to loosen it up without changing the flavor.
Go back