Peanut Butter Cup Brownies (Printable Version)

Decadent brownies with peanut butter cups baked to fudgy perfection in a simple pan.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
06 - 2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs
08 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

→ Mix-ins & Filling

09 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 - 16 mini peanut butter cups or 8 standard peanut butter cups, halved

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, combine melted butter and sugar. Whisk until glossy.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
05 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Gently fold in chocolate chips.
07 - Spread half of the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.
08 - Arrange the peanut butter cups evenly over the batter.
09 - Spoon the remaining batter over the peanut butter cups, smoothing the top with a spatula to cover completely.
10 - Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
11 - Allow to cool completely in the pan before lifting out and slicing into squares.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The peanut butter cups stay gooey and delicious in the center, creating pockets of flavor surprise with every bite.
  • These brownies are fudgy enough to feel indulgent but structured enough to cut into clean squares and actually serve to guests.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the number one way to end up with cake instead of brownies, so fold in the dry ingredients like you're handling something fragile.
  • Don't skip cooling completely in the pan—rushing to cut them while they're still warm turns your beautiful squares into a pile of crumbs, as I learned the hard way one Saturday morning.
03 -
  • Room temperature eggs whisk in more smoothly than cold ones straight from the fridge, creating a silkier batter that bakes more evenly.
  • A toothpick test is your friend—remove the brownies when it comes out with moist crumbs rather than clean, because they continue to set slightly as they cool.
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