Confession (this is becoming a scandalous new habit to how I start my blog posts): This featured recipe was not chosen by me. And I can't take all of the credit for its success. And I technically shouldn't vouch for its yummy-ness because it's chock full of gluten.
But I don't care. I'm doing a public service by sharing the delicious-ness that IS Reese's Stuffed Brownies.
So how did these end up a reality? Well, it's a little story that I'm more than willing to tell.
Brian works at the Austin Capital Food Bank as a Summer AmeriCorps Vista. As a perk to working there, he gets to take home any perishables each Friday because it would otherwise be thrown away. So...he's been having fun taking home baked goods from Walmart and distributors, much to my dismay. So I ever-so-subtley ranted about preservatives, additives, and mysterious ingredients, along with the fact that those desserts are probably incapable of expiring in the first place. Besides that I let him know that I really like to bake with him!
From there, he willingly scoured through his abundant stash of Pinterest recipes online (he's more of a 'yum-that-looks-tasty' Pinner than myself, an 'I-typically-have-those-ingredients-and-can-make-this' Pinner), and decided on the decadent Reese's Stuffed Brownies.
That's pretty much the end of the story. Sunday afternoon (after making a dash to the store to buy more eggs that we ran out of because of a certain eggy breakfast) we got to work whipping up our dessert. I intended to be the helper. Instead, I became the partner-in-crime, even licking the brownie batter bowl. (Though unfortunately these brownies don't leave much batter in the bowl. Boo.)
And it sure was a tricky process layering the batter to candy ratio correctly! The reason being that I no longer have a brownie pan. Yeah, mine cracked in half a couple months ago...let's not talk about that. So instead, we employed the use of two round cake pans and distributed accordingly. That meant much less bake time and more interesting slices for serving, but yummy nonetheless.
As I've hinted, I also ate a slice for dessert on Sunday. And I also had a slice for dessert last night. And depending on how full I am after a delicious dinner outing later, I may also have a slice tonight. Chocolate is my weakness. I'm well aware. And the gluten is just a nemesis that I'm willing to put up with.
But before I reveal the recipe in-depth, let me just schpiel quickly about how much I dislike boxed cake/brownie mixes these days. Yes, convenient. But really, I don't trust them. Who knows what unnecessary fillers and preservaties are going in there? Why not just buy bulk flour, sugar, baking soda, etc. and commit to baking more than once? (Chances are, you'll buy enough boxed mixes to fulfill those bulk amounts anyway...)
*Steps off soapbox* I'm done now. Let's BAKE!
Reese's Stuffed Brownies
*Adapted from KeyIngredient.com
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used dark chocolate)
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
16 Reese's peanut butter cups
Instructions:
Unwrap the Reese's cups and put them in the fridge to chill, especially if it is summertime, and you're baking in a hot kitchen. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat (you might be able to get away with microwaving the butter in a dish, but I can't vouch for that myself). Immediately stir in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring in each before adding the next.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. If your saucepan is big enough, it's recommended to add the flour mixture now, but I slowly added the saucepan mixture to the flour bowl, and this worked just fine. Stir until a thick batter forms.
Spray your baking pan(s) (recommended for one 9x9 pan, but I used two 8-inch round pans) with non-stick spray. Spread 1/4 of the batter into each pan with a rubber spatula.
Place half of the Reese's on the surface of each battered pan, pressing in slightly. Then, spread the remaining batter on top of each, being careful not to disturb the Reese's. At this point, bake for about 30 minutes if using two pans (recommended 35-40 minutes for the one pan).
Allow brownies to cool in the pan. Run a knife along the edge and flip upside down onto a plate, tapping the bottom until released. Slice like a pie and enjoy!
But I don't care. I'm doing a public service by sharing the delicious-ness that IS Reese's Stuffed Brownies.
So how did these end up a reality? Well, it's a little story that I'm more than willing to tell.
Brian works at the Austin Capital Food Bank as a Summer AmeriCorps Vista. As a perk to working there, he gets to take home any perishables each Friday because it would otherwise be thrown away. So...he's been having fun taking home baked goods from Walmart and distributors, much to my dismay. So I ever-so-subtley ranted about preservatives, additives, and mysterious ingredients, along with the fact that those desserts are probably incapable of expiring in the first place. Besides that I let him know that I really like to bake with him!
From there, he willingly scoured through his abundant stash of Pinterest recipes online (he's more of a 'yum-that-looks-tasty' Pinner than myself, an 'I-typically-have-those-ingredients-and-can-make-this' Pinner), and decided on the decadent Reese's Stuffed Brownies.
That's pretty much the end of the story. Sunday afternoon (after making a dash to the store to buy more eggs that we ran out of because of a certain eggy breakfast) we got to work whipping up our dessert. I intended to be the helper. Instead, I became the partner-in-crime, even licking the brownie batter bowl. (Though unfortunately these brownies don't leave much batter in the bowl. Boo.)
And it sure was a tricky process layering the batter to candy ratio correctly! The reason being that I no longer have a brownie pan. Yeah, mine cracked in half a couple months ago...let's not talk about that. So instead, we employed the use of two round cake pans and distributed accordingly. That meant much less bake time and more interesting slices for serving, but yummy nonetheless.
As I've hinted, I also ate a slice for dessert on Sunday. And I also had a slice for dessert last night. And depending on how full I am after a delicious dinner outing later, I may also have a slice tonight. Chocolate is my weakness. I'm well aware. And the gluten is just a nemesis that I'm willing to put up with.
But before I reveal the recipe in-depth, let me just schpiel quickly about how much I dislike boxed cake/brownie mixes these days. Yes, convenient. But really, I don't trust them. Who knows what unnecessary fillers and preservaties are going in there? Why not just buy bulk flour, sugar, baking soda, etc. and commit to baking more than once? (Chances are, you'll buy enough boxed mixes to fulfill those bulk amounts anyway...)
*Steps off soapbox* I'm done now. Let's BAKE!
Reese's Stuffed Brownies
*Adapted from KeyIngredient.com
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used dark chocolate)
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
16 Reese's peanut butter cups
Instructions:
Unwrap the Reese's cups and put them in the fridge to chill, especially if it is summertime, and you're baking in a hot kitchen. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat (you might be able to get away with microwaving the butter in a dish, but I can't vouch for that myself). Immediately stir in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring in each before adding the next.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. If your saucepan is big enough, it's recommended to add the flour mixture now, but I slowly added the saucepan mixture to the flour bowl, and this worked just fine. Stir until a thick batter forms.
Spray your baking pan(s) (recommended for one 9x9 pan, but I used two 8-inch round pans) with non-stick spray. Spread 1/4 of the batter into each pan with a rubber spatula. Place half of the Reese's on the surface of each battered pan, pressing in slightly. Then, spread the remaining batter on top of each, being careful not to disturb the Reese's. At this point, bake for about 30 minutes if using two pans (recommended 35-40 minutes for the one pan).
Allow brownies to cool in the pan. Run a knife along the edge and flip upside down onto a plate, tapping the bottom until released. Slice like a pie and enjoy!
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