Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

There are some recipes I know will be a huge hit before I even try them. This is one such recipe. What made me believe these Peanut Butter Cup Brownies would go over like gangbusters? Well, it's a rich, fudgey chocolate brownie. With peanut butter cups in the batter. Topped with a chocolate cream cheese icing. With more peanut butter cups sprinkled on top. What could go wrong?

And these brownies lived up to my expectations. They are simply divine. The base brownie itself is excellent, the frosting has a nice tang from the cream cheese, and the peanut butter cup topping is a show-stopper. Put a plate of these brownies out on your work desk and dare people to walk past without stopping for one. There is no such thing as a diet around these.

These brownies do have a downside, though. They're a bit messy to eat, especially right after being frosted. After a couple of hours the frosting will harden a bit. I know it will be hard to suffer through the sweet chocolate and peanut butter mess, but I promise you can make it though. I believe in you. The other drawback is that these brownies don't last very long, mostly because they have a tendency to jump into your hand when you're not looking. And then you have to eat it. It would be rude not to.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP BROWNIES

for the brownies:
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 c. peanut butter cups, chopped

for the frosting:
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. peanut butter cups, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8 x 8 inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Grease this pan lining with a light coat of non-stick spray.

2. In a 2-quart or larger saucepan, melt together the butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Remove from the heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add in vanilla. Stir in the flour and baking soda, mixing just to combine. Fold in the peanut butter cup pieces.

3. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Place pan of brownies on a wire rack to cool.

4. Once brownies are cooled, remove them from the pan by lifting out the lining. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar. In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Remove from heat and pour the chocolate over the cream cheese mixture and mix to combine. Frost the cooled brownies. Top with chopped peanut butter cups. Press on the peanut butter cup pieces slightly. Cut brownies and serve, or store in an air-tight container.

Source: Anyone Can Bake, by Better Homes and Gardens, pg. 126.

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, Sweet Indulgences Sunday, Cast Party Wednesday

The Brownies

A year ago, I decided on a whim to start making snacks for my husband's work group. I figured this would be a win-win-win situation. I'd get to practice baking without the end results tempting me, my husband would be the hero of his engineering group, and his co-workers would get a mid-afternoon sugar high. These brownies were one of the first things I baked for the group, and I get endless requests for them. They've almost become my signature item. If there's an occasion for me to ask "what should I bring?" there's a decent chance the answer will be "bring the brownies." I can't recommend this crowd-pleasing recipe enough.

THE BROWNIES

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar with melted butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla.

3. Pour about 1/4 of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined, smoothing out any lumps. Continue adding the flour mixture in batches, mixing well after each batch. You might find the batter thick and difficult to work (at least I do, but I have no arm strength). Resist the temptation to use an electric mixer. Brownies are always better when hand mixed. The results will be worth it! When flour mixture is fully incorporated, stir in chocolate chips.

4. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. With brownies, it's very important not to over bake them. When in doubt, pull them out! Allow to completely cool before cutting. Makes 24 brownies.

Source: Allrecipes