Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownie Bites

Per my sister, this recipe is the only good thing to ever come from Fox News.    The good news?  Fox News didn't create this recipe, just featured the recipe from the author of the food blog Keep It Sweet.   Regardless of your media or political leanings, these brownie bites are a delicious and decadent treat.    I have some of the cookie filling left over.  It doesn't have eggs, so you can eat it guilt free with a spoon.  Or I can find another recipe to use it.

What You Need

1 Box brownie mix of choice plus ingredients called for on box.  I had a box of Trader Joe's Truffle Brownie Mix that I brought home from a recent trip to Lake Tahoe.   Next year TJ's will have a store in Denver.  Until then, I have to hit them up as I travel. 

1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/4 Cup peanut butter (I used the honey nut crunchy PB from King Soopers)

1/4 Cup granulated sugar

1/2 Cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 Tablespoon milk

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup lightly chopped peanut butter cups (~7 peanut butter cups)

What You Do

Prepare brownies. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with butter or spray well with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare brownie mix as directed and fill cups with brownie batter (about 2 tablespoons each). Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a knife comes out clean; do not over bake. Set brownies aside to cool and prepare cookie dough.

What I Found:  I was able to make 36 brownie bites instead of 24.  My challenge was that even with cooking spray, they didn't want to come cleanly out of the mini muffin cups.   I'm thinking that next time I can either use mini muffin cups, or make them in a 9x9 or 13x9 pan and slice my squares in half. 

Prepare cookie dough. Whisk flour and salt in a small bowl; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat together butter, peanut butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in milk and vanilla on low speed. Stir in flour mixture just until combined. Stir in chopped peanut butter cups.

Put together brownie bites. Once your (awesome) cookie dough is ready, take your brownies and slice each in half horizontally so that there is a top and a bottom. Place a rounded disk of cookie dough on each bottom half (about one tablespoon of cookie dough each). Press tops of brownies lightly onto cookie dough layer so that you can still see the cookie dough from the sides. Serve immediately or freeze.   Honestly, they won't last long enough to freeze.