Vanishing Black Cocoa Brownies

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For Halloween, here’s a devilish, Vanishing Black Cocoa Brownies recipe that will quickly vanish right before your eyes and all those goblins, vampires and zombies lurking about, will wanna get in on the action too!

Scarfing down these gooey brownies are thrilling because they’re topped with a peanut butter frosting with Reese’s Pieces and chocolate chips!  That is until they’re gone!  Umm…Whaaa???  That’s frightful!!

The good thing is, you can make these fudgy brownies over and over and over…till death do you part! Ahhhh!  I know that sounds a little morbid, but we’re coming up on Halloween, my favorite holiday and we have to have a little spooky fun here, ya know?  So were-wolf with me, k?

What is Black Rich Cocoa?

I used King Arthur’s Black Cocoa and Dutch Cocoa in these brownies, which by the way are very moist, yet cake-like and the texture is amazing.  If you’ve never used black cocoa give it try!  Black cocoa is a super-dark Dutch-process cocoa with deep black color. It gives your chocolate treats an intense, deep chocolate color and is ultra-rich in flavor, so you don’t need to use as much.

That’s why these peanut butter frosted brownies are perfect for Halloween, right?  By the way, besides the deep dark chocolate components, these brownies were made with whole wheat flour, bananas, and peanut butter.  So therefore, we are healthy-ish, up until we add the creamy peanut butter frosting, chopped Reese’s Pieces and mini chocolate chip cookies.

Sounds like a well-balanced compromise to me! Dark chocolate and peanut butter together make me happy!  Let’s make this black cocoa brownie recipe!

Ingredients You Need

halloween Black Cocoa fudgy Brownie recipe

• 2 bananas ripe, 3 bananas can be used instead of 2 if you want more banana flavor.
• ¾ cup canola oil or coconut oil melted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 cup whole wheat flour or all purpose flour, I used whole wheat
• ¾ cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar
• ½ cup black cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy (I used King Arthur’s Black Cocoa or you can use another ultra dark cocoa powder)
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy (I used King Arthur’s Dutch)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

Peanut Butter Frosting recipe

• 1 cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup butter softened
• 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Pinch or two of salt

OR…

Drizzle

• ½ cup melted peanut butter
• ½ cup melted milk chocolate

Toppings, Optional

• Reese’s Pieces chopped
• Mini chocolate chips

Instructions How to Make Vanishing Black Cocoa Brownies

Black Cocoa Brownies 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×9 baking pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, using mixer, beat bananas until pureed.
3. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients, and whisk together for about a minute or two on medium speed.
5. Pour brownie batter into prepared 9×9 prepared pan and bake until the center has firmed, about 30-35 minutes.
6. After the brownies have cooled, prepare frosting or melted peanut butter/chocolate drizzles.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1. Using mixer, beat butter, peanut butter, vanilla, cream and salt together until well mixed. Add confectioners sugar and beat well until smooth and creamy. Frost brownies with a spatula knife.

Toppings, Optional

1. Sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped Reese’s Pieces on top. Cut and serve.

OR

Drizzle

1. Drizzle melted chocolate and peanut butter all over the brownies.

Storing

• Store brownies at room temperature in an airtight container for several days. You can also refrigerate them in the fridge for a couple of weeks or freeze in the freezer for months. If you are adding the frosting, you may want to frost them later if you are freezing brownies.

More Variations

• Add chopped Oreo cookies to the top of your brownies as another topping option.
• Top brownies with vanilla ice cream and chocolate fudge topping for delicious brownie bitefuls!
• Add some espresso powder to your wet batter for even more intense chocolate flavor!

These Vanishing Black Cocoa Brownies will vanish before you know it!  Enjoy!  Bring these to the parties, office, birthday celebrations and the closet!  The closet??  LOL!  I’m a hoarder of chocolate, what can I say?  And now it seems peanut butter has always been following suit!  Enjoy this fun Halloween black cocoa brownie recipe today!

More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Dreams!

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cookies
• Delish Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
• Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs
• Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Pie – It’s Phenomenal!

Vanishing Black Cocoa Brownies

Kim Lange

The secret to these brownies are the black cocoa powder to make them ultra-rich with deep chocolate robust flavor! No one can resist them!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 16 Servings

Calories

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Black Cocoa Brownies

• 2 ripe bananas mashed
• ¾ cup canola oil or coconut oil, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 cup whole wheat flour or all purpose flour, I used whole wheat
• ¾ cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar
• ½ cup black cocoa powder sifted if lumpy (I used King Arthur's Black Cocoa)
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted if lumpy (I used King Arthur's Dutch)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Pinch or two of salt
• or

Drizzle

• ½ cup melted peanut butter
• ½ cup melted milk chocolate

Toppings, Optional

• Reese's Pieces chopped
• Mini chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x9 baking pan with non-stick spray.
• Using mixer, beat bananas until pureed.
• Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients, and whisk together for about a minute or two on medium speed.
• Pour into prepared 9x9 baking pan and bake until the center has firmed, about 30-35 minutes.
• After the brownies have cooled, prepare frosting or melted peanut butter/chocolate drizzles.

Peanut Butter Frosting

• Using mixer, beat butter, peanut butter, vanilla, cream and salt together until well mixed. Add confectioners sugar and beat well until smooth and creamy. Frost brownies with a spatula knife>

Toppings, Optional

• Sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped Reese's Pieces on top. Cut and serve.
• Or

Drizzle

• Drizzle melted chocolate and peanut butter all over the brownies.

Notes

3 bananas can be used instead of 2 if you want more banana flavor.

Keyword black cocoa, brownies, peanut butter, peanut butter frosting,, Reeses pieces

Tried This Recipe?Let us know how it was by commenting below!

Recipe adapted from: Banana Peanut Butter Cake Brownies @ Olive and Artisan.