These decadent chocolate peanut butter brownie cups start with a simple store bought mix. Then we fill the dense chocolate chip cupcake with a nutty, buttery filling that will knock your socks off.
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❤️Why you’ll love this recipe
You will fall head over heels for these brownie cupcakes if. . .
- you can’t think of a better combination than chocolate and peanut butter.
- love anything with a gooey filling like Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- fudgy dense cupcakes are your passion.
- you only share your Reeses cups with your best friend.
🛒 Ingredients
Brownie cupcakes
- Brownie box mix: I like to use the brownie mix with the semi-sweet chocolate chips inside. It adds a nice contrast to the peanut butter cups we add, although you may use whichever box mix you like.
- Peanut butter mini cups: if you can’t find the mini cups you may us peanut butter chips, Reeses pieces or peanut butter M & Ms. You can also chop up full sized peanut butter cups.
- Vanilla extract: this enhances the flavor of the peanut butter filled brownie cupcakes.
Peanut butter frosting filling
- Caramel syrup: the syrup flavors the peanut butter as well as making the consistency of the filling easier to work with.
- Creamy peanut butter: make sure that it is creamy and melted before trying to fill the brownie cupcakes.
- Milk Chocolate bar: I used a Hershey’s bar for this, but you can use whatever milk chocolate bar you have. This finishes the cups.
- Sea Salt: brings out the flavor of the chocolate and balances the sweetness of the brownie cups.
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a medium size bowl add the water, oil, egg, and vanilla with the brownie mix.
- Mix well until all the ingredients combine with the mix.
- Fold in the mini chocolate covered peanut butter cups.
- Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray then pour the brownie batter into the cups ¾ of the way up.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Make indentations in the cupcake for the filling.
- Let the brownies cool a little bit on a rack.
- Melt together the peanut butter and caramel syrup.
- While the brownie cupcakes are still warm, spoon in the caramel and peanut butter filling.
- Top with shaved milk chocolate and flaked sea salt.
- Serve immediately. They are so gooey and delicious.
- If you have any leftover, warm them up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
🔪Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Small microwaveable bowl
- 12 cup muffin pan
- Medium size mixing bowl
- Measuring Spoons
- Dry measuring cups
- Rubber spatula
- Wooden Mixing spoon
Store the marinade in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator. It will keep for over a week. Discard the marinade that was in contact with the meat.
If you cook the marinade that was in contact with the raw meat for 15 to 20 minutes, you may use it as a basting or serving sauce. Add a bit of butter to it and fresh chopped parsley or cilantro for a flavorful sauce.
Store the peanut butter brownie cups at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
They are best eaten the first or second day and scrumptious warmed up. To warm, put them in the microwave and heat in 15 second increments.
You may also freeze the cupcakes for up to 3 months. (It would be a real challenge to keep them that long.)
🤔 FAQ’s
Place the peanut butter in a small microwaveable bowl for 30-40 seconds. If needed add a few more seconds at a time.
Carefully draw a vegetable peeler across the broad surface of a chocolate bar. This works best if the chocolate is at room temperature. For narrower curls, use the side of the bar.
🍽 Serve with . . .
- Cold glass of milk
- Irish coffee
- Dark red wine like a chianti
- Plain coffee
- Green tea
- Vanilla ice cream
- The possibilities are endless
😋Variations
- If you prefer a little less chocolate, try using a blondie brownie mix instead. The peanut butter will be delicious with the chewy vanilla beauties.
- Instead of the Reese’s pieces, try peanut butter chips for a one-two punch of peanut butter flavor.
- If you want little bites, make them as mini brownies in the mini muffin tins. These make delicious treats any time of year and in a mini size they’ll go farther.
If you can never get your fill of chocolate, here are some additional recipes that will help satisfy that craving.
- Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is a creamy chocoholics delight blending together cream, Nutella, hazelnuts, and chocolate chips.
- Italian Chocolate Toto Cookies are spicy chocolate balls covered in a chocolate glaze. They are a treasured treat at Christmas.
- Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti makes sure you have extra cocoa flavor with the addition of nuts to the mix.
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins is a banana split in a muffin. A great way to start your morning with the flavor you crave.
- Cannoli Cake with Chocolate Covered Strawberries is the dessert for those who believe you can’t eat strawberries unless they’re covered in chocolate first. Outstanding!
📞 Chiacchierate (Chat)
Do you remember the first time you had a Reese’s Cup? I do. It was at Halloween.
Whenever we finished with our trick or treating, we’d get together and evaluate our stash of goodies. By evaluating, I mean the size and number of candy bars we scored.
Candy bars were la creme de la creme. In those days, candy bars were pretty big. So when we saw the little ole Reese’s Cup for the first time we thought we got gipped!
Well, that was until we had our first bite. The only sound was the Mmmmmm’s we made as the smooth creamy candy melted in our mouth. Chocolate and peanut butter. That combination won us over — big time!
If you love this recipe, pleas give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📝 Recipe
Easy Peanut Butter Brownie Cups Recipe
Ingredients
- 18 oz. brownie mix with chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup peanut butter mini cups
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons caramel syrup
- 1 milk chocolate bar shaved into curls
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Equipment Needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to the instructed temperature on the back of the brownie mix box. Spray a muffin pan really well with vegetable cooking spray and set aside.
- Follow the instructions on the brownie box to create the batter plus the vanilla extract. Then fold the peanut butter mini cups into the batter. Make sure it is well combined.
- Evenly fill each muffin cup about ¾ of the way full with the batter.
- Bake in the oven for the required time listed on the box, about 25-30 minutes, or until you see cracks on the top of the brownies. You can also check with a toothpick – if it comes out clean the brownies are ready.
- After the brownies have finished baking and are still warm, use the back of a spoon to make an indentation for the peanut butter.
- In a small microwaveable bowl, melt and mix the peanut butter with the caramel syrup heating in 30 second increments.
- Remove the brownies from the muffin pan and transfer them to a cooling rack.
- While the brownies are still warm, top each one with the warm peanut butter and caramel sauce. Cool completely.
- Once the top is cooled, garnish with a sprinkle of sea salt and chocolate shavings made from the milk chocolate bar.
- Best served immediately and warmed. Especially delicious with a cold glass of milk.
Notes
- Don’t be afraid to sprinkle the flaky sea salt to the top of the brownie cup. The salt enhances the chocolate flavor and balances the sweetness from the brownie.
- These peanut butter brownies are delicious warmed. Put them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until warm.
- If you prefer a little less chocolate, try using a blondie brownie mix instead. The peanut butter will be delicious with the chewy vanilla beauties.
- Instead of the Reese’s pieces, try peanut butter chips for a one-two punch of peanut butter flavor.
- If you want little bites, make them as mini brownies in the mini muffin tins. These make delicious treats any time of year and in a mini size they’ll go farther.
