Ritz Nutella Peanut Butter Brownies

Ritz Cracker Nutella Brownies are inspired by our favorite childhood after-school snack: Ritz crackers slathered with Nutella and peanut butter. These gooey Nutella brownies have a peanut butter Ritz cracker crust, salty-sweet Ritz cracker crumb mixed in, and the crowning glory is the Ritz cracker ganache.

When I was a kid, one of my favorite was Ritz crackers dipped in peanut butter and Nutella. You dip on cracker in peanut butter and one in Nutella and then smoosh them together. It was like heaven. Coming home from school and eating what was probably wayyy to many of those little sandwiches.

I still love the combination, I just don’t have it as much because I’ve learned there are probably some healthier after-school snack options. And because my tastes have gotten a smidge moe sophisticated, I decided to turn the wonderful combination into a delicious baked good in the form of Ritz Cracker Nutella Brownies. And I think I succeeded. Because These. Brownies. Are. Downright. AH-mazing. 

I looked to the Momofuku cookbook for this, because I knew they had a Ritz crumb. And even a recipe to turn that into a Ritz crust. But there’s was just plain. So I added peanut butter. Because you can never have enough peanut butter. I just replaced some of the butter with melty peanut butter.

And then I chose a recipe for Nutella brownies that Molly found, and those things are good. They are like eating a slightly gooier form of Nutella. But still a brownie. It’s hard to explain, but I shouldn’t need to because you should just go make it yourself.

But the ganache situation on these Ritz Cracker Nutella Brownies is what I was most excited about. It’s Ritz ganache. RITZ. GANACHE. I would never have thought such a thing possible. In the Momofuku cookbook, there was a recipe for graham crust ganache, so I just substituted Ritz crumbs for graham cracker crumbs and voila! One of the most delicious combinations since the Rtiz peanut butter Nutella sandwich itself.

The Ritz ganache really pulled it all together and made the Ritz the dominating flavor in these. Because my first attempt at combing these three flavors involved a Ritz Cracker cake. That was okay, but… It was kind of just like butter cake. It wasn’t Ritz-y enough. There is just some quality to a Ritz cracker that is more than just butter. Maybe it’s the salt. I’m not sure. But this ganache did it.

I served these for a party we were having at our house, and I’m pretty sure that literally every single adult had seconds. I had thirds. The only ones who didn’t like it were the kids. Maybe it was just a little to out there for them? I’m not sure. It definitely appeals to your inner child, but maybe it appeals to that slightly-grown-up version of your inner child. like the inner child we have that’s really how we view our inner child from our grown-up perspective. You know what I mean? maybe not. I’m trying to be too deep I guess. Maybe I should just end this be saying these Ritz Cracker Nutella Brownies were some of the best brownies I’ve ever eaten.

-Audrey

Ritz Cracker Nutella Brownies

• Author: Molly
• Yield: 9 brownies 1x

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Ingredients

Ritz Cracker Crumb:

• 1 1/2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs (about one and a half sleeves)
• 1/4 cup milk powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Peanut Butter Ritz Cracker Crust:

• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter, melted

Nutella Brownies:

• 1 cup Nutella
• 2 eggs
• 10 tbsp plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp instant coffee, finely ground

Ritz Cracker Ganache:

• 1 recipe Ritz Crumb
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2–1 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

Make the crumb:

1. Food processor the Ritz crackers until they are like graham cracker crumbs and very even.
2. Toss the crumbs with the milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.
3. Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. Add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. Use immediately in the ganache recipe.

Make the crust:

1. Pour Ritz crackers into a bowl and crush them with your hands. They don’t have to be very small and it’s okay if the crumbs are uneven.
2. Add the milk powder, sugar, and salt and toss to mix.
3. Melt the peanut butter and butter together in the microwave and whisk together. Add the melted butters to the dry ingredients and toss to coat.
4. Press into an 8×8 or 9×9 pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before adding brownie batter.

Make the brownies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the Nutella and eggs. Add the salt and coffee.
3. Mix in the flour until it is just incorporated.
4. Pour the batter onto the crust and spread it out evenly.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the center is just set and the edges begin to crack.

Make the ganache:

1. Blend Ritz crumb with the milk and the salt until smooth and homogenous.
2. Spread on the brownies when they are cool, and try to use quickly after making it, or store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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Notes

Crumb, ganache, and crust adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar.