A revamp on the classic New Zealand Peanut Brownie biscuit. These cookies have a chocolate base, and are filled with roasted salted peanuts and milk chocolate chunks.
Hello! Just popping in to share this recipe. Not too sure what to say at this point - I think we are all a bit uncertain about what’s next for all of us, but I promise these cookies will help even if it’s just a tiny bit.
This is a recipe for my take on a Peanut Brownie, which is a classic New Zealand biscuit (cookie for all of you in the states). I am unsure where the brownie part came from as these guys aren’t anything like a brownie. The original was always pretty dry and crumbly, and used those natural peanuts with the skins. They were a childhood favourite, but I realised not too long ago that they could probably do with a good revamp, so here we are. I subbed natural peanuts for roasted and salted, which turned out to be a game changer, and adjusted the matrix of the cookie so that it was a little more chewy and fudgy. I also threw some milk chocolate chunks in just for good measure, and finished it with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. And oh man, what a glow up. These are chocolatey and delicious, soft and chewy and a tiny bit crunchy around the edges, and the peanuts and the chocolate work so well together. I hope you enjoy!
A few wee tips:
Roasted salted peanuts are a game changer here. If you only have raw you can toast them in the oven at 350°f / 180°c for about 10 mins, shaking frequently, then up the salt just a touch.
I used milk chocolate in these but dark would work great - just whatever you have on hand.
I haven’t tried these with other nuts but I bet they would be so so good with walnuts or something!
Tips for perfect chocolate chip cookies
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A note on salt and oven temperature
It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.
All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Using the double / triple function in the recipe card
You will notice that there is a '1X' '2X' '3X' button in my recipe card. This can be used for doubling or tripling a recipe. However, please note that this only doubles the ingredient quantities in the ingredients list and NOT in the method. If there are quantities or pan sizes in the method of the recipe (for example weigh out 150g brown butter), you will need to scale this number manually. It will also not change the baking time in the recipe so you will need to adjust this yourself too. It is always a good idea to read through a recipe fully before doubling it just to check this. If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!
Tools and equipment
For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!
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Peanut Brownie Cookies (Chocolate Peanut Cookies)
- Prep Time: 15 minute
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
A revamp on the classic New Zealand Peanut Brownie biscuit. These cookies have a chocolate base, and are filled with roasted salted peanuts and milk chocolate chunks.
Ingredients
- 250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 190g granulated sugar
- 130g dark brown sugar (light brown will work fine too)
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 220g all-purpose flour
- 70g dutch process cocoa
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 300g roasted, salted peanuts
- 300g milk chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper (you may have to bake these in several batches depending on how many trays your oven can tolerate - I did four trays worth, baking one tray at a time).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk and mix to combine. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until just combined. Add the peanuts and chocolate and mix briefly to incorporate.
- Using a 2 Tbsp scoop, scoop balls of dough out onto your prepared sheet pan. Roll into balls using your hands (the dough will be quite sticky, this is fine), and arrange on a sheet pan, leaving enough room for spreading. I did 6 balls per sheet pan just to make sure that they did not touch.
- Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, or until set around the edges. Remove from the oven and, if desired, gently scoot the cookies into a round shape using a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt soon after removing from the oven. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes on the sheet pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Keywords: peanut brownie, cookie, milk chocolate, peanut, chocolate
These are deeeeelish!! A lil crunch on the outside and chewy and soft in the middle! Yum! The salty nuts are life changing. Mind blown.
These are just so, so good!
★★★★★
I want to tryyy but I’m allergic to nuts. What if I skip the peanuts? Does it change texture of the cookie?
xo
Hi! You can do more chocolate if you want but it’s a peanut cookie so based around the peanuts. The Kit Kat cookie has a similar base but no nuts 🙂
These are a real trip done nostalgia lane to childhood in NZ 🙂
I can also confirm if you half the recipe but accidentally still use the same egg and vanilla quantity indicated, they still workout!
Don't be like me and half the recipe!
These are so good you will want a full batch 🙂
Ahhh so happy you loved them!