Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

With their decadent dark chocolate filling, these peanut butter cup brownies are the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers. 

These peanut butter cup brownies are actually a twist on peanut butter cups, because the outer cookie shell is made with a butter cookie, and the filling is basically flourless peanut butter chocolate cake. 

Regardless, these little packages of chocolate and peanut butter deliciousness will fly off the platter. 

How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Brownies:

These peanut butter cup brownies are comprised of a cookie crust, a flourless chocolate and peanut butter cake, and a peanut butter ganache drizzle. 

Cookie Crust:

First, you make the cookie crust for these brownie cups. The ingredients include butter, dark brown sugar, an egg yolk, vanilla, salt, and whole wheat flour. 

To make the crust, you cream the butter and brown sugar, add the egg and vanilla, and then mix in the flour and salt. 

Next you press the dough into the greased cups of a 12 cavity muffin tin. 

Flourless Chocolate Cake:

Next, you make the "brownie" part of the cups. The ingredients include a full four ounces of bittersweet chocolate, butter, peanut butter, three eggs, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla, and Dutch process cocoa (more chocolate!). 

You melt the butter, chocolate, and peanut butter over a double boiler. Then you beat the eggs and the sugar together until you have a pale mixture. Fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar, and add the salt, vanilla, and Dutch process chocolate. 

Divide the batter among the cavities of the muffin tin and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Peanut Butter Ganache Drizzle:

The final step, once you've let the brownie cups cool, is to drizzle them with the peanut butter ganache. 

To make the ganache, you heat milk and peanut butter together in the microwave in ten second bursts, stirring in between. You will know when the ganache is done when it is smooth and shiny. 

When you bake these brownies, the chocolate will rise up and be nicely mounded when you remove them from the oven. Once they cool, they will fall in the middle. Don't be sad! They are supposed to do this. This makes the centers extra fudgy. 

The recipe calls for using 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate. I had discovered a large bar of Sharffen Berger 70 percent cacao that had a "sell by" date that had long passed in my pantry while cleaning out a shelf, so I mixed two ounces of it with new bittersweet chocolate. 

I had done the same with my orange curd brownies earlier in the week and it worked out perfectly. 

For the cocoa powder, I used Dutch processed, but I'm sure natural cocoa powder will work as well. 

Tips for Making these Peanut Butter Cup Brownies:

Use a kitchen scale both to measure out the cookie crust as well the filling. This will help you evenly distribute everything and produce uniformly-sized brownies. This is especially helpful with the cookie crust. 

To tamp down the cookie shell, I used a wooden tart tamper. While you will still need your fingers to make sure the dough is evenly distributed in the muffin cavities and the edges are even, this tool really sped up the process for me. 

To turn the baked and cooled brownies out of the pan, place a wire rack over the top and then turn the whole thing over and tap it, holding it together, lightly on your counter. Lift the muffin tin and the brownies should fall out, landing upside down on the rack. Just flip the brownies over to continue to cool. If some are resistant, just gently tap the pan upside down on your counter. 

To drizzle the peanut butter ganache, I used a condiment squeeze bottle, which made it easy to drizzle. 

Welcome to Chocolate Week! All week long, food bloggers will be posting recipes to celebrate chocolate. Our organizer is Christy of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

More Chocolate Recipes

• Cake in a Jar from Devour Dinner
• Chocolate Cake Mix Donuts from Blogghetti
• Chocolate Chip Brownies from That Recipe
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Shortbread Cookies from Shockingly Delicious
• Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Chocolate Funnel Cakes from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chocolate Pomegranate Crostini from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Ferrero Rocher Ice Cream from The Fresh Cooky
• No Bake S'mores Pudding Pie from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Peanut Butter Cup Brownies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberries from The Redhead Baker
• White Chocolate Strawberry Bombs from Magical Ingredients
• White Chocolate Strawberry Muddy Buddies from An Affair from the Heart

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Yield: 12 brownies

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 50 Min

With their decadent dark chocolate filling, these peanut butter cup brownies are the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers.

Ingredients

For the Cookie Crust

• 150 grams (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 73 grams (1/3 cup packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 219 grams (1 3/4 cups) whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Brownie/Flourless Chocolate Cake

• 113 grams (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate (60 percent cacao), roughly chopped
• 113 grams (unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 64 grams (1/4 cup) creamy peanut butter
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 150 grams (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 43 grams (1/2 cup) Dutch process cocoa, sifted

For the Peanut Butter Ganache

• 128 grams (1/2 cup) creamy peanut butter
• 120 grams (1/2 cup) whole milk

Instructions

To Make the Cookie Crusts

1. Spray a 12-cavity muffin tin with spray oil.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg yolk, the vanilla, and beat for about 2 more minutes on medium.
4. Add the flour and salt and beat on low until just combined.
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 38 grams each (2 tablespoons).
6. Press the dough into the cavities of the muffin tin to line the bottom and up the sides.

To Make the Brownies

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine the chocolate, butter, and peanut butter in the top of a double boiler and cook over simmering water, stirring regularly, until melted. Remove the top pan and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs on medium. Slowly pour in the sugar and salt in a steady stream and beat until pale yellow, about 2 minutes.
4. Fold in the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla until fully combined. Fold in the cocoa powder.
5. Add about 3 tablespoons (50 grams) of the mixture to the molded cookie cups.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The tops should be round, and possibly cracked.
7. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
8. Turn the brownies out on a wire rack to cool completely.

To Ice the Brownies

1. Add the peanut butter and milk to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the mixture in 10 second intervals, whisking in between.
2. Continue until the mixture is creamy, smooth, and shiny.
3. Drizzle over the brownies.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

369.59

Fat (grams)

21.34

Sat. Fat (grams)

10.77

Carbs (grams)

39.01

Fiber (grams)

4.69

Net carbs

34.33

Sugar (grams)

19.68

Protein (grams)

7.93

Sodium (milligrams)

165.63

Cholesterol (grams)

74.43

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2022/01/peanut-butter-cup-brownies.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

brownies, peanut butter

Dessert

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Recipe adapted from Bake From Scratch Magazine. I've probably made half of the recipes in every issue. If you love baking, subscribe.