Brownie Peanut Butter Bites

A five-ingredient mini-muffin brownie with a whole Reese’s peanut butter cup pressed into the center of each one. The result is a two-bite dessert with a fudgy chocolate exterior and a molten, melty peanut butter cup at the core that pulls into long strings when you bite in warm.

Using a boxed brownie mix is the right call here. Homemade brownie batter is too dense for this format, and the box mix gives you that bouncy, slightly chewy texture that holds the peanut butter cup in place without sinking.

The trick is pressing the candy in firmly enough that the batter just covers the bottom edge, but not so deep that it sinks completely. You want a glimpse of orange wrapper peeking through the top of the baked muffin.

Mini peanut butter cups are the right size for a mini-muffin tin. Standard cups are too big and will tip over or push the batter out of the cup as they sink.

Pro Tips

• Use unwrapped mini Reese’s, freshly opened. Older candy gets a bloom and the chocolate doesn’t melt as smoothly.

• Don’t overfill the muffin cups. Half full is right. The batter rises around the candy as it bakes.

• Bake on the middle rack only. Cooking too close to the top causes the muffin tops to brown before the centers set.

• Let them cool 10 minutes in the pan before lifting out. The peanut butter cup centers are molten-hot straight from the oven.

Variations

• Substitute Rolos or caramel cubes for a caramel-center version.

• Use white chocolate brownie mix and Junior Mints for a chocolate-mint version.

• Top each baked bite with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for a sophisticated sweet-salty finish.