These fudgy peanut butter cup brownies will be your new favorite over-the-top brownie recipe. A creamy peanut butter filling is sandwiched between rich fudgy brownie batter studded with chopped peanut butter cups. More peanut butter cups are sprinkled on top of the batter before being baked to fudgy chocolate peanut butter perfection.
Melt the peanut butter and butter in a microwave safe bowl for about 1 minute until the butter is melted. Stir well.
Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until combined. It will be a thick, crumbly cookie dough-like mixture.
Turn the peanut butter filling out onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten it into a 8 inch by 8 inch square. Set aside.
Brownies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on 2 sides or spray the pan with cooking spray.
Combine butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat until melted, stirring often.
Pour the mixture into a large bowl and let cool for 5 min.
Add the sugars and stir to combine.
Add the eggs and stir until combined.
Add the cocoa powder, flour and salt and stir until combined. Stir in ½ cup of the chopped peanut butter cups.
Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Peel the disc of peanut butter filling off of the parchment and place it on top of the brownie batter, and then pour the remaining batter over the peanut butter filling, smoothing the top.
Sprinkle the rest of the chopped peanut butter cups over the top of the brownie batter evenly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until set in the middle.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled remove the brownies from the pan (if you used parchment paper) and cut into squares or cut into squares in the pan.