Snickers brownies are inspired by the classic candy bar, but in brownie form. These are a fudgy brownie base with a peanut topping. The peanut topping is made by folding vanilla bean caramel and salted peanuts together. The mixture gets poured on top of the brownie base then topped with extra flaky sea salt.

The start of this recipe are the brownies. We make these the same way we start pretty much every brownie recipe, with our classic brownie base. Our recipe uses almost 1 pound of 70% dark chocolate which makes an incredibly rich and fudgy brownie base. We prefer to bake them in a 9×13” metal pan because we find this creates the chewy edges and fudgy center better than if they are baked in a glass pan.

Why You’ll Love This Snickers Brownies Recipe

If you are a fan of the combination of chocolate, peanuts, and caramel, this recipe takes all those flavors from the classic candy bar and puts them into brownie form.

Two components that are incredible alone. The fudgy dark chocolate brownie base and the vanilla bean peanut caramel topping can each are incredible alone, but together they taste like a homemade Snickers bar in the best possible way.
Make-ahead friendly. Both the brownies and the caramel can be made a day in advance, which makes this easy for a birthday or holiday gathering. Note the caramel will harden in the fridge so it will need to be softened in the microwave.
Texture for days. Chewy edges, a fudgy center, a layer of soft caramel, and a crunch of salted peanuts on top. Each bite has tons of flavor and texture.
Balanced sweetness. The dark chocolate and flaky sea salt keep these from being too sweet, although they are incredibly decadent.

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Cooling 1

Total Time 2 30

Servings 16

Ingredients

Brownies:

1 cup salted butter 227 g
14 ounces 70% strong dark chocolate coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch cocoa powder 60 g
1 cup all-purpose flour 120 g
5 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar 140 g
1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon if iodized
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Bean Sea Salt Caramel:

⅔ cup heavy cream 160 ml
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste 15 ml
1¼ cup granulated sugar 250 g
¼ cup water 60 ml
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon light corn syrup 30 ml
4 tablespoons salted butter cut into 1 tablespoon pieces, 57 g

Peanut Topping:

1 recipe caramel above
2 cups salted roasted peanuts
flaky sea salt

Instructions

Brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Butter and line a 9-by-13-inch metal baking dish with parchment paper
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. If the heat from the butter does not fully melt the chocolate, put the pan back over the heat for 10 seconds and stir until melted.(note: if you are using a chocolate bar, you will need to melt the chocolate longer on the stove)
Set chocolate mixture aside to cool.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugars, salt, and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or hand mixer), beat on high speed until the mixture thickens and becomes pale in color and falls from the beater in a wide ribbon that folds back on itself and slowly dissolves on the surface, 4 to 5 minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the cooled chocolate into the egg mixture.
Add the flour and cocoa powder and fold it in quickly but gently with the rubber spatula so that you don’t deflate the air that’s been incorporated into the eggs.
Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake until the top looks slightly cracked and feels soft to the touch, about 25 minutes.
Set aside to cool.

Vanilla Bean Sea Salt Caramel:

In a medium pot, combine the sugar, water, salt, and corn syrup (use a pan larger than the contents as it will bubble to ~4x the contents) Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then cook, without stirring, until the mixture is amber colored, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. (Complete step 2 while the mixture is becoming an amber color)
While the sugar is heating, pour the heavy cream into a small pot. Add the vanilla bean (split and seeded with the tip of a sharp knife) to the cream. Place the pan over medium-high heat until it is just under a boil. Reduce the heat to low to keep the milk warm.
Slowly pour the warmed cream into the amber sugar syrup. At first, the mixture will boil furiously but then will simmer down. Whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice and cool for 10 minutes.
One tablespoon at a time, add the butter to the caramel. Whisk constantly after each addition. Cool for about 10 minutes before adding in the peanuts.

Assembly:

Add the peanuts to the caramel and stir to evenly combine before pouring over top of the cooled brownies. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and let them set up for about 30 minutes before slicing.