If you’re looking for a festive dessert that’s rich, chocolatey, and full of peanut butter goodness, these Christmas Peanut Butter Brownies are the answer. They start with a simple boxed brownie mix and get loaded with chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and a sprinkle of red and green M&Ms on top. The result is one of the most fun Christmas desserts you can whip up! They’re chewy, fudgy, and perfect for sharing. Best of all, they’re easy Christmas desserts that you can easily show off at parties.
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Ingredients for Christmas Peanut Butter Brownies
You only need a handful of ingredients to make these fun holiday treats:
- 1 box brownie mix (for a 9×13 pan)
- Ingredients listed on the box (usually eggs, oil, and water)
- 10 snack-size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped into chunks (or as much as you want!)
- 3/4 cup red and green M&Ms
How to Make Christmas Peanut Butter Brownies
Making these brownies is so simple. Here’s the step-by-step:
1. Preheat the oven. Heat your oven according to the instructions on the brownie mix box (usually 350°F). Grease a 9×13 pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
2. Prepare the brownie batter. In a large mixing bowl, make the brownie batter according to the package instructions. Mix until smooth and glossy.
3. Fold in the peanut butter cups and M&Ms. Chop the snack-size peanut butter cups into smaller pieces. Fold about three-quarters of the chunks into the brownie batter, reserving the rest for topping later. Fold in about ½ cup of M&Ms.
4. Spread and bake (partway). Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 15 minutes, or for about ¾ of the time your box mix tells you to. For me, it said 21 minutes, so that was around 15 minutes.
5. Add toppings. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the reserved peanut butter cup pieces and M&Ms into the top of the brownies. This step keeps the candies visible and prevents them from sinking.
6. Finish baking. Return the pan to the oven and bake for the remaining time listed on your brownie mix box (usually 5-10 more minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
7. Cool and cut. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before slicing into squares. This helps them set and makes for cleaner cuts.
Pro Tips for the Best Christmas Peanut Butter Brownies
- Don’t overbake. Brownies continue to set as they cool, so it’s better to pull them out when they’re slightly fudgy rather than dry. Now, make sure they’re fully baked too! I found that I actually had to bake mine for about 5 minutes longer than the box mix said I would, but everyone’s oven is different.
- Parbaking before adding toppings keeps your peanut butter cups and M&Ms from sinking into the batter and disappearing. Definitely lean towards parbaking to like three quarters of the way done. I normally try to do about halfway done and then sprinkle on my toppings. However, I found that with these brownies, if I did that the toppings I sprinkled on top had already sunk below the surface by the time the brownies were done.
- If you don’t have all red and green M&M’s, put the other colors in the batter immediately and save the red and green ones for the top. No one will know the other M&Ms are hiding in the middle and you can still have a cute Christmas-themed treat.
- Use parchment paper to line your pan. It makes it easy to lift the whole batch out before cutting, which looks especially nice for serving at parties.
FAQs
What kind of peanut butter cups should I use?
I used the snack size and cut them (approximately) into 8-10 pieces each. However, you could also use the min cups and try cutting them into 4-ish pieces each. Really, it’s totally up to you!
Do I have to add things on top?
Definitely not! I like to do that because it adds an extra level of prettiness to the dessert. However, you certainly don’t have to and it won’t affect the flavor of anything if you forget.
How do I know when the brownies are done baking?
Check with a toothpick inserted in the center—if it comes out with a few moist crumbs (not raw batter), they’re ready. Be wary of the time your box mix says to bake for! At least in my experience, I had to bake these a lot longer than I was expecting, but I’m sure different mixes and different ovens give different results.
Can I make these brownies ahead of time?
Absolutely. These Christmas Peanut Butter Brownies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 2 months.
Can I make these in a smaller pan?
For sure! Just make sure you adjust your baking time. If you use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan, you’ll have to bake for longer. That also means that you should parbake your brownies for longer before sprinkling extra things on top.
Christmas Peanut Butter Brownies are one of those recipes you’ll come back to year after year. I love how easy they are, too! Just a box of brownie mix, some candy, and a little holiday spirit and you’re good to go.
If you need easy Christmas desserts that everyone will rave about, add these brownies to your holiday baking list. They’re perfect for cookie trays, holiday parties, or just as a cozy treat to share with family. Pin this recipe now so you’ll have it handy when you need holiday treats that look festive and taste amazing!
Christmas Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 brownie mix for a 9x13 pan
- The other ingredients (and amounts) your brownie mix calls for usually eggs, water and oil
- 10 snack size Reese's peanut butter cups roughly chopped (or more!)
- 1/2 cup red and green M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat your oven according to the instructions on the brownie mix box (usually 350°F). Grease a 9×13 pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, prepare the brownie batter according to the package instructions. Mix until smooth and glossy.
- Chop the snack-size peanut butter cups into smaller pieces. Fold about three-quarters of the chunks into the brownie batter, reserving the rest for topping later. Fold in about ½ cup of M&Ms and reserve the rest for sprinkling on dop.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or for about 3/4s of the time your box mix tells you to bake, and pull your brownies out of the oven. For me, my box mix said it would take 21 minutes, so that was around 15 minutes.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle the reserved peanut butter cup pieces and M&Ms into the top of the brownies. This step keeps the candies visible and prevents them from sinking
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for the remaining time listed on your brownie mix box (usually 5-10 more minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
