Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars

I've been dying to find a good recipe for chocolate peanut butter brownies that does more than just add peanut butter to the batter or swirl it in on top. I very much succeeded in finding such a recipe. Chocolate and Peanut butter fanatics beware, these are ridiculous. The rice krispie cereal surprise on top really adds something special. Not to mention the layer of peanuts and peanut butter cups. There's actually nothing more you can ask for in a recipe. Start with your favorite brownie recipe, brownie box, or this recipe for Chewy Brownies.


Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars
1 batch of brownies
½ cup salted peanuts
8 Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped
1½ cups milk chocolate chips
1½ cups creamy peanut butter
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
1½ cups Rice Krispies cereal

Bake the brownies as directed, except remove them 5 minutes before being finished. Chop up the peanut butter cups and sprinkle these as well as the peanuts over the brownies. Return to the oven for 5 minutes until done.

Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir cereal in until evenly combined. After removing the brownies from the oven, pour cereal mixture evenly on top. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until the cereal mixture hardens. Keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for storage.

I have a couple of friends who don't particularly care for obscene amounts of peanut butter. Besides the fact that they are quite abnormal, I altered this recipe to just be full of chocolaty goodness. I used my individual silicon baking cups so I could still make a large batch of the peanut butter ones, and was able to make 6 of the super chocolate ones. The brownie mixture stays the same. For the peanut and peanut butter cup layer, chop up some Hershey's chocolate and your favorite chocolate bar, maybe kit-kats or butterfinger, or you can just do chocolate and sprinkle it atop the brownies (5 minutes before the brownies are fully cooked). While the brownies finish cooking, to substitute the rice krispie layer, I took 1 tsp butter, 1/2 cup rice krispies cereal and 1 cup of mixed semi-sweet and milk chocolate. Melt the butter and chocolate until smooth. Mix in the cereal. Spoon a heaping tablespoon into each baking cup. Keep in the refrigerator until top mixture hardens. Keep stored in the refrigerator for best results 


Enjoy :)