Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

For this past 4th of July long weekend I had three parties to go to in three days.  I knew that I wanted to make brownies but I also wanted them to be more than just the average brownie. I found this recipe on one of my favorite foodie websites and modified it slightly to incorporate the peanut butter cups I wanted to use.  They were such a hit that I ended up making them the next day for another party with another slight variation.  These are wonderful. So chewy and fudgy and when you get one of those little peanut butter cups you are just in heaven.  I plan to make these again many times.

Whisk the cocoa powder and water in a small bowl until well mixed.  You can add espresso powder here too if you're using it.

I used semi-sweet chocolate here because that's what I had.  Just cut it up so that it will melt quickly when you add in the hot water/cocoa powder mixture. Whisk together until smooth.

Melt some butter in a bowl and then stir in the oil. 

Add the butter/oil mixture into the chocolate mixture. It will look a little funny at first but should mix together nicely.

Next add the sugar and mix well.

Then add the flour and mix until incorporated.

Next I added an entire bag of those new Reese's Mini's.  I found them in the candy isle. Pop a few in your mouth first, just to make sure they're edible.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. 

To tell when they are done, insert a toothpick halfway between the center and an edge.  You want it to come out mostly clean but with some small pieces clinging to the toothpick. This will ensure their fudgyness.  Yes, I make up words.

Let cool for about 30 minutes or so and then pull the tin foil edges up and remove the brownies from the pan.  Place on a cooling wrack and let cool completely before cutting.

Cut and serve with a big glass of milk! So good!

The original recipe was found here. Thank you Brown Eyed Baker!

Below is the recipe with my tweaks:

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa - I also tried this with regular cocoa powder and liked both varieties.
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Mini's
Put your oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk cocoa and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the shaved semisweet chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. After you add the butter/oil it might look sort of funny, but keep whisking and it ends up looking smooth. Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and incorporate all the ingredients until smooth. Whisk in sugar and then add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. I added Reese's mini peanut butter cups.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours.

Use the foil overhang to lift the brownies from the pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into and serve.