Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Chocolate and peanut butter.

Is there anything better?

When I was in college, I would fill a bowl with chocolate ice cream from the machine at the dining hall, then put a scoop of peanut butter in the bowl and GO. TO. TOWN! Those were the days in which I hiked 3 miles a day to and from class.

Now I chase four whippersnappers.

Quadruple whippersnapper-chasing = Hiking three miles to class. That's what I tell myself anyway.

This week, these little ditties were my chocolate/peanut butter indulgence of choice.

I had a hankering somethin' fierce for that ridiculously perfect combination and made these Peanut Butter Brownie Bites.

I discovered a few years ago that if you add sour cream to brownie mix when making brownie bites (hence the birth of my Triple Chocolate Sour Cream Brownie Bites), this keeps them soft and gooey - instead of hard and crunchy - which is often what happens to bite-sized brownies if you buy them at the store or make them straight from the package.

But, the real secret to these?

The peanut butter filling!

It's straight peanut butter. No powdered sugar or butter added to make it sweeter. It's just peanut butter. Which means when you bite into them, well...you'll just have to try them for yourself. But, for the record: It's pretty darn perfect.

This recipe makes about 40 mini-brownies - which is just the right amount if you need to take them to a party or get-together. Or, if you're like me, just a tad bit obsessed with chocolate and peanut butter.

So, next time you've got a hankering for some chocolate/peanut butter goodness, try these.

They're so easy.
And, SO absolutely delicious.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

1 (13" x 9" size) box dark chocolate brownie mix (I prefer Ghirardelli), prepared
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini muffin tins or line with mini-muffin liners.

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Stir in sour cream.

Pour chocolate chips and flour into a small bowl. Toss chocolate chips and flour. (This will keep the chocolate chips from falling to the bottom.) Add one cup of chocolate chips to brownie batter.

Fill mini-muffin tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes - until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. (They will continue to cook after you remove them). Remove from pan onto wax paper.

Using a spoon, press a hole in the center of each brownie to make room for filling.

Microwave peanut butter for 45 seconds. Stir until smooth. (*If you want the peanut butter to be slightly thicker, or more like a soft icing, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar to the peanut butter after you microwave it. I do that sometimes, just for kicks.)

Place a teaspoon of peanut butter into centers of brownies. (If it falls over the edges, that's fine.) Top with several chocolate chips.

Cool completely.

DIG IN!

Makes approximately 40 brownie bites.