Brownie Peanut Butter Cups

I don't know what it is, but I have a thing for cupcakes and this thing I have is short of becoming an obsession. Even when I try to get away from cupcakes and try something new, I end up finding recipes that use cupcake liners. What is it about cupcakes that have me so excited to bake? When I figure out the madness behind the obsession, I will be sure to share, but for now I will just provide you with a new recipe that of course uses... cupcake liners. This recipe comes from Bakerella, a fellow blogger.

Ingredients:

- 1 package Duncan Hines Chocolate Lovers Double Fudge Brownie Mix (my store didn't carry that brand so I found a Betty Crocker mix that seemed comparable)

- 2 eggs

- 1/3 cup water

- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

- 30 mini Reeses cups unwrapped

- 1 box Reynolds 2-inch aluminum foil mini cups for muffins

Ingredients in a nutshell.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 30 foil liners on baking sheet. I could only find 2 1/2 inch liners so instead of making 30 brownies, I used more brownie mixture to fill up the cups, which used about 18 liners.

Combine brownie mix, contents from fudge packet in mix, eggs, water, and oil.

Stir with spoon until well blended (about 50 strokes).

Fill each liner with 2 tablespoons of batter. Since I used larger liners, I filled the cups with 3 tablespoons of batter. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes if you are using 2-inch liners and bake for 15 minutes if you are using 2 1/2 inch liners.

Yummmm. That is the only word that can capture the essence of combining chocolate with peanut butter. I am a sucker for the combination... just ask my co-workers. Good thing I have self-control or I would be buying peanut butter m&m's from Circle K everyday. Okay, back to baking. While the brownies bake, unwrap each Reeses cup (the number will depend on how many brownie cups you are making). Push 1 Reeses in the center of each brownie cupcake until even with surface of the batter. Bake 5-7 minutes longer depending on what size cups you use.

Cool 5-10 minutes on pan and then move to cooling rack to cool completely.

I made these brownie peanut butter cups for the girls at work and before serving them a new recipe, I thought I should try one out the night before. The results? Yummmm! My favorite part of brownies are the sides of the pan because they are just a little more cooked and almost a little crunchy. If you are like me and enjoy that part of the brownies, you will love this cupcake recipe because the whole thing is just like that.

Bon Appetit!