Mini Peanut Butter Brownies

I'm back!!!!!  Wow!  It's been over 2 months since I last posted anything.  I attempted to do the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.  I only got to week 7.  I tried to keep up.  I wanted to add recipes to my blog.  But then, life happens.  Since August I had been studying for a huge certification exam for work.  It took over all my spare time.  There wasn't much cooking or baking going on.  Honestly, on top of all my other responsibilities (full-time job, teenage daughters, husband, home), I just couldn't blog anymore.

Well, I'm happy to report that I passed my certification test a few weeks ago.  I earned my PHR certification! (Professional in Human Resources)  It was really a big accomplishment for me.  I graduated college 25 years ago (yikes!) so it's been quite a long time since I've had to study.  But it's over and now I can get back to my "normal" life.  

I hope I still have some visitors to my blog.  Because you don't want to miss these fantastic little peanut butter and chocolate brownie bites.  Can I just say they are AWESOME!  They are very rich.  I had to down 2 glasses of milk after I just ate one.  

Perfect bite size dessert for this weekend's Super Bowl.  These will be making an appearance at my office Super Bowl food day later this week.  

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  I am new to Pinterest and it is really fun and addicting.  This is a simple recipe.  It uses a box brownie mix.  I recommend Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie mix but I'm sure any boxed mix or even a from scratch recipe will work just fine.   

Mini Peanut Butter Brownies

Recipe by Baked Perfection

Makes 30-40 mini brownies

Ingredients

1 box of your favorite brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli Double Chocolate)
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 30-40 mini-muffin cups.

Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 1 heaping teaspoon). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.

***I had to use a back of a spoon to push down the centers to form a well to hold the peanut butter and chips.  Do this while the brownies are still warm.

Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still warm spoon about half to one teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.

To remove brownies, take a sharp knife and go around edge of brownies to loosen from pan.  They will pop out easily.  They also need to cool in the pan before removing or they will fall apart. 

    

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Here's another brownie bite recipe that brings together the perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate.....

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites.

Snickers Brownies.......Week 4 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

Ever since I made these Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites, I've been obsessed with adding candy to my baked goods.  I was going to make Snickers Cookies (yes there is such a thing), but due to time constraints, I needed to do something that would be be quicker.  So, I googled Snickers Brownies and found this recipe by My Baking Addiction.  


How do I describe these?  Decadent. Rich. Chocolaty. Fudgy. 


Was it a good idea to add Snickers Bars to brownies?


Oh YES!


I know this is a little different for a Christmas treat but I don't think anyone would mind if these showed up on your cookie platter this year.   

Snickers Brownies

yield | 12 brownies

Ingredients

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate; coarsely chopped
3/4 cup butter, unsalted
1 ½ cups white sugar
3 eggs; lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
12 Fun Size Snickers Candy Bars; cut into fourths (I used 10 Snickers)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl at medium (50% power) for 3-4 minutes or until butter is melted.
3. Whisk until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar. Add in eggs, extract and salt. Gradually add in flour and stir until just combined.
4. Spread ½ the batter into prepared pan. Add an even layer of Snickers and cover with remaining ½ of brownie batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes; do not over bake.
5. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting.

Click here to print recipe from My Baking Addiction

The hidden special ingredient in these brownies.  All I can say is WOW!

Lining the pan with foil makes it easy to lift out of the baking pan and cut into squares.

It's Week 4 and I'm working my way through the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.  See the blog hop below for more shared holiday treats.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Snickers candy bars have been around a long time.  They were introduced by Mars, Incorporated in 1930.  A candy bar that stays around for 81 years has to be pretty special.  Roasted peanuts, nougat, caramel and milk chocolate.....Snickers!

    

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites.....Week 2 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

Is it a brownie?  Is it candy?  It's a combination.  Candy inside a brownie bite.  Oh my!  This is some serious goodness.  It's Week 2 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.  This week I decided to make brownies instead of cookies.  There's plenty of room for a variety of goodies on your holiday cookie tray.    

 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are one of my favorite candies.  One of my favorite desserts are brownies.  Put the 2 together and I'm pretty much in heaven.  These are super easy to make and fun too!  

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites

Recipe by Savory Sweet Life

Yield: Approx. 40 Brownie Bites

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
40 miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray mini cupcake pan(s) with non stick spray. In a medium bowl, mix melted butter, sugars and vanilla.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add flour, cocoa and salt.  Mix until combined.  Fill each cupcake section with batter, slightly more than halfway.  Do not overfill.  Place a peanut butter cup in each cupcake hole, pressing it down until it is almost level with the batter.  Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until done.  Cool the brownie bites for 5 minutes before removing from the cupcake tin.  

Note: Thanks to Alice from the blog Savory Sweet Life for this recipe.

(Go here to print recipe)

My daughter, Marissa, unwrapped all the candy for me and placed then in the batter.  What a great recipe for your kids to help make.

See the blog hop link below for some more wonderful cookie/treat recipes from other bloggers.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  I had a hard time getting out some of the brownie bites.  Some broke as I tried to remove them.  I may have overfilled the muffin cups.  Next time I will use mini muffin liners.  I think that will solve the problem.  But no worries....we enjoyed eating the warm broken ones.  They didn't go to waste.

Cream Cheese Brownies.......12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies: Week 7

After 6 weeks of making cookies, I had to make a change.  And, in my book, there is no better change than brownies.  Brownies are one of my family's favorite treats.  I wanted to make brownies with a little something extra.  That something extra is cream cheese.  If you have never had the combination of cream cheese and brownies, you need to make these soon.  These brownies are in between cake-like and fudgy.  Full of chocolate flavor along with the slightly tangy cream cheese layers make a fantastic brownie.  

Click here for the printable recipe on Marthastewart.com.

Cream Cheese Brownies

Recipe by Martha Stewart

16 Squares

Ingredients

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 cup plus two tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( I used Baker's Semisweet Chocolate )
4 ounces room-temperature bar cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or spray with cooking spray. Line bottom and two sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two sides. Butter paper, and set pan aside. In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2.Place 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter and chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove bowl from pan. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar; mix to combine. Add 3 eggs, and mix to combine. Add flour and cocoa mixture; mix just until moistened (do not overmix).

3.Prepare cream-cheese mixture: Whisk bar cream cheese with 2 tablespoons room-temperature butter. Whisk in 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Alternately spoon chocolate batter and cream-cheese mixture into pan; with the tip of a paring knife, swirl to marble.

4.Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes. ( check after 45 minutes ) Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Using paper overhang, lift brownies out of pan; transfer to a rack to cool completely (still on paper). On a cutting board, using a dampened serrated knife, cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Note:  I put the chocolate batter in the pan and then spooned the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate batter.  I then took a knife and swirled the batter together back and forth from one side of the pan and then swirled again from the other side of the pan.  You can also put a layer of chocolate batter, dollop the cream cheese batter and then top off with remaining chocolate batter.  Then swirl.  This will put the cream cheese filling more on the top and center of the brownies instead of just the top. 

 
 

Enjoy!

Be sure to check out the Blog Hop below to see more recipes for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Gift/Packaging Idea -  A simple way to package these brownies....wrap a large brownie square in wax paper and tie a festive Christmas ribbon around it.  Place little treat package on your bosses or co-workers desk.  Give to your child's teacher or someone special.  If you are having a dinner party, put a little brownie package with a recipe card at each person's place setting.