Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

These Peanut Butter Cup Brownies combine two of my favorite flavors into a ridiculously delicious treat. Rich, fudgy brownies are studded with mini peanut butter cups. It's undeniably awesome.

In my early 20's, I ate an unseemly amount of boxed brownies. My friends and I loved eating them warm straight out of the pan. It was absolute bliss. Since then, my taste has become only slightly more sophisticated, but I will still happily scarf a box brownie in a heartbeat.

What's changed is my level of patience and the joy in take in baking. Whereas in my youth, my goal was to get brownies in my face as quickly as possibly while drinking too much Captain Morgan, today I'm much more interested in the aroma of melting chocolate, the beautiful streaks created by mixing different colored ingredients, and the anticipation of bringing pleasure to my friends. But from birth to death, I will still love licking the spatula after the batter's gone into the oven.

What makes these Peanut Butter Cup Brownies so awesome?

You certainly could add mini peanut butter cups to a box brownie mix and that would be delicious, but these brownies are just a little bit more luxurious. They're fudgy and gooey and moist and rich. No matter what type of chocolate you use, they'll be great. If you did want to splurge, though, these brownies can be truly spectacular. Of course, there's nothing sophisticated about Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They're just freakin' awesome.

I would encourage patience as well in the cooling of the brownies. Since my younger days, I've learned that letting brownies cool or even chill completely before cutting them not only helps them hold their shape, but it also deepens the flavor. You can always warm them up again in the microwave if that's the vibe you want. These are of course awesome to share with friends and family, but I think you should wrap up at least one to take to work with your lunch one day. You'll actually be excited about going to the office.

Make it magical

Sometimes in spellwork, you need to balance the energy, just like you need to balance flavors in a recipe. Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic combination flavor combination, but they also bring somewhat contrasting energies to your kitchen magick. Chocolate brings nearly euphoric vibes including love, happiness, and friendship. Peanuts have a much more stable and grounding energy. When you combine them, you can create an energy of grounded joy that sticks with you for much longer. Use this combo in spells for long term friendships or deeply rooted self-love.

To learn more about the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this dish. The full details are in the recipe card below.

• Butter - unsalted
• Chocolate - semi-sweet chocolate chips work great, but chopped chocolate is also good
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Flour - all-purpose or plain
• Cocoa powder
• Salt
• Mini peanut butter cups - I use the tiny, unwrapped ones, not the bigger miniatures wrapped in foil. Honestly though, use what you like. You could also fold in Reese's Pieces if that's your jam.

Tips for making Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Making brownies from scratch does involve dirtying a lot of dishes, but the results are well worth it. Start by melting butter and chocolate together either in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. You just want to stir it frequently and remove it from the heat as soon as it's smooth. Let that cool for at least 10 minutes before mixing it with anything else.

In the meantime, you'll beat together you eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and foamy. This is what helps create the crackly crust on top of your brownies. Then you can add your cooled butter and chocolate to the eggs, folding everything together. Add some vanilla now as well. Then you'll sift your dry ingredients over this mixture and fold that in as well. Finally, mix in your peanut butter cups before pouring the whole thing into a square baking dish. Bake until set, no wobbles. Then let them cool to room temperature and stash in the fridge to chill. This makes them much easier to cut.

Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge. Not that they'll last very long.

If you love peanut butter and chocolate, you'll definitely think these Peanut Butter Cup Brownies are awesome. I hope you give them a try.

Looking for more awesome brownie recipes? Try these rich Kahlua Brownies or some layered Mint Brownies.

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