Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies stuffed with a perfectly creamy peanut butter centre!

As I sit to type out this recipe, I’m badly craving a brownie. These went way to fast. Wayyyy to fast.

The combination of chocolate and peanut nutter butter is too much for me to handle at the best of times, and I just knew I hadta try baking these babies. Why?

I was craving peanut butter cups. Reese’s is my second name. No. It is. And chocolate is my first. Don’t tell me I’m the only one who slaps on peanut butter and Nutella on fresh bread at any time of day, just because. Not necessarily hunger driven. More like insane cravings driven by mad feisty hormones.

This was another one of those, ‘I solemnly swear I’ll be good for the rest of my life,’ recipes, that I was praying would turn out with all my heart and soul.

Well. It did. Boy did it everrrrr.

I don’t know what was better. Biting into the fudgy chocolate outside → reaching the creamy even-fudgier peanut butter centre sweetened with the perfect amount of sweetness → the perfect amount of peanut butter saltiness → or the entire fusion with melted chocolate and peanut butter chips. No. I don’t think anything is better than this. Except for maybe eating one brownie feels like three, there’s so much happening. It’s like a peanut butter cup pocket rocket.

It took every amount of insane strength to stop myself licking the entire bowl. The entire bowl. And the spoon. I had to keep reminding myself to get the batter into the pan first, Karina. Lick later. There’s always time for later licking. And fighting…over the spoon.

Simply put, you have to make these. Yeah man. Yes. you. And your inner teenager will be released. Like mine was.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Weight Watchers: 5pp per brownie

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Serves: 16 Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies

• 3/4 cup plain flour (or all purpose is fine)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup reduced fat/light butter , at room temperature (or oil)
• 1 cup light brown sugar (or muscavado sugar)
• 1/2 cup natural sweetener (or sugar of choice)
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs

Peanut Butter Filling:

• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (the oiler the better)
• 1/2 cup sweetener/powdered sugar of choice
• Pinch of salt (if your pb is natural)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (rice malt syrup or agave are fine)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

Topping:

• 1/4 cup dark/semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup Reese's chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C | 350F
• Spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking oil spray, wipe excess over with paper towel, and set aside
• Combine flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the butter/oil, brown sugar, sweetener/sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and whisk again until light and creamy.
• Pour the liquid mix into the dry ingredients, and mix with a spoon until just combined (do not overheat the batter)
• Set Brownie Batter aside to create your pb filling

Peanut Butter Filling:

• Combine all peanut butter filling ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
• Evenly spread 1/2 of the brownie batter into prepared pan. Spoon the peanut butter filling over the top and even it out to the edges of the pan. Pour the remaining brownie batter over the top and smooth it over the peanut butter filling. (At this point, it's ok if some of the pb mixes in with the brownie batter. Mine created a little swirl over the top)
• Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes (depending on your oven) until set to the touch. Insert a toothpick into the centre of the brownies, and it should come out a little dirty (nice and fudgy)
• Sprinkle the chocolate and reese's chips over the top and allow brownies to cool before cutting into 16 bars!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4.8g | Fat: 12g | Fiber: 1.1g