Just call me the Queen of Peanut Butter and Chocolate

I'm always searching for new ways to make something with peanut butter and chocolate. I'm a total chocoholic. If ever there came a day when a doctor said to me, "Kathy everything is great, but you can never eat chocolate again." Shoot me. Kill me. Put me out of my misery, I don't want to live!!!

Nick on the other hand is a peanut butteraholic. So it's only natural that I'd like to make things that contain our two favorite ingredients. You've seen my Buckeye Cookies here. As well as Ritz Sandwich Cookies for Christmas and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes. Today I bring you Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Cups (the actual recipe is at the end, as always). This is a Nestle recipe and it starts out by putting 1/4 cup of butter (I always always use unsalted), 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 Tablespoon water in a bowl and microwaving it until the butter is melted. Stir and then add 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted.



From there, add an egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir until well mixed. This is all done in a bowl with a spoon. No mixer is needed. Add 1 cup of AP flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Stir well.




When completely mixed, add 1 cup peanut butter/chocolate swirled chips. I used just peanut butter chips to enhance the peanut butter aspect of it and because that's what I had in the house at the time. Stir well and then place a heaping Tablespoon of dough into a each cup of a prepared muffin pan (prepared... buttered or sprayed with non stick spray). It should make twelve, so just add more to the cups if you have extra. There's no baking powder in these so they don't rise an awful lot.




Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes. Mine needed a little longer, but not much. When your toothpick, placed in the middle comes out clean, they are done. Do NOT over bake! Brownies are best, in my opinion anyway, when they are slightly underdone or as I like to say, medium rare. When they are done, put them on a rack to cool and watch in awe as the centers start to collapse. If that doesn't happen, give them a little push with the back of a spoon. Then take 3/4 cup peanut butter and microwave on high for 1 minute. Put a dollop of peanut butter in the center of each brownie.




YUM!

Brownie Peanut Butter Cups

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) milk chocolate and peanut butter swirled morsels, divided
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 12 muffin cups.

Combine sugar, butter and water in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Add semi-sweet morsels; stir until melted. Add egg and vanilla extract and stir well. Add flour and baking soda and stir until blended. Allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in 1 cup Swirled morsels. Spoon a heaping tablespoon batter into each prepared muffin cup.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top is set and wooden pick inserted center comes out still slightly wet. Place muffin pan on wire rack. Centers of brownies will fall upon cooling. If some do not, with back of teaspoon, tap center to make a hole.

Place peanut butter in small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100%) power for 45 seconds; stir. While brownies are still hot, spoon a scant tablespoon peanut butter into center of each brownie. Top with remaining Swirled morsels. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Run a knife around edge and carefully remove from pan.