Saturday, September 24, 2011

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

So lately there have been lots of posts for brownies that have peanut butter cups in them.  I, of course, wanted to make them too.  I went out and bought a bag of the Mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups a few weeks ago, but just finally had a chance to make them.  Its been a busy week with work, and my birthday.  My boyfriend and I took a little vacation/ road trip to Sedona, Az.  It was amazingly beautiful and we had a great time hiking, wine tasting, and eating the local cuisine.  We tired Cactus Fries; they were interesting... But anyway, back to the baking.  I wanted to find a good brownie recipe to add the peanut butter cups too. I think I found the perfect recipe from Alton Brown.  He makes a Cocoa Brownie that is unlike any other brownie I have ever tired.  The texture is different and its super chocolaty.  The method for making these is unique, you use a Kitchen Aid with the whisk attachment and you beat the eggs first.  Kinda different.  And there is brown sugar in these brownies, also unusual.  But all I can say about these is they are AMAZING.  I poured half the batter in the pan, then sprinkled a whole bag of Reece's Minis and 2 handfuls of chocolate chips, then poured on the other half of the batter.  If you don't want to add the peanut butter cups, I would still recommend these as a plain brownie.  YUM!



Me at the top of Doe Mesa, Sedona, Az
Cocoa Brownies with Peanut Butter Cups - Adapted from Food Network-Alton Brown
Yield: 24 Brownie squares
Ingredients:
4 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar, sifted
1 Cup Brown Sugar, sifted - I had a real hard time sifting brown sugar, I would not recommend it!
1 Cup Melted Butter
1 1/4 Cups Cocoa, sifted
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 Cup Flour, sifted
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Bag of Mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, 8oz
1/2 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 300. Butter or grease an 8-inch square pan.
  2. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. 
  3. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
  4. Pour 1/2 the batter into a greased 8-inch square pan then add a bag of mini peanut butter cups and some chocolate chips.  Add the rest of the batter on top.
  5. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.
  6. Enjoy!!

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