Everyone who knows me knows that I love peanut butter and chocolate. These Reese’s Pieces Brownie Cups showcase that! I love peanut butter. I love chocolate brownies. And, there is a special place in my heart for Reese’s Pieces!
Happy Birthday E.T.
At the grocery store recently I saw a magazine cover celebrating the 40th anniversary of the movie E.T.. At first I felt old, but then I just smiled at the memories this movie invoked. This classic movie was released in 1982 when I was an elementary school kid on summer vacation. Does it get much better than childhood summer breaks?
My family did not go see many movies. Occasionally, my parent would load us into the back of the Pinto Wagon (more stories about that for another time) with blankets and pillows, and take us to a drive-in theater. They knew my brothers and I would fall asleep in no time, so they didn’t always select movies for the kids. Now that I think about it, I’m guessing it was mom and dad date night without having to pay a babysitter. E.T. was different.
For my first viewing, my mom took my brother, Josh, and I to The Palace Theatre in our home town. I loved that theater, and anyone who grew up in my small town has a lot of memories of the Palace, and of Stu Rasmussen who ran it. I loved watching a movie featuring kids I could relate to (Drew Barrymore and I are about the same age), and the story was so touching. The end of the movie found both my mom and I in tears.
When we got home, my mom told my dad (who had stayed home with “the baby” thinking he didn’t really want to watch a movie about kids and aliens) that we ALL needed to see that movie. I don’t know if my youngest brother, “the baby” remembers going to E.T. because he was about 4 at the time, but I remember my entire family (who did not have much money to spend on movies) went to The Palace and I saw that movie again!
Reese’s Pieces
I don’t know that I had tried Reese’s Pieces before seeing the movie, E.T. The candy debuted in 1978, but I don’t think it was very popular. Legend has it that Steven Spielberg wanted to use M&M’s in the movie, but the Mars company probably had similar thoughts to my father’s, and didn’t have much hope for a movie about kids and aliens. They declined that product placement opportunity. Anyhow, Reese’s Pieces took on a starring role in the movie, and exploded in popularity. It is said that sales of Reese’s Pieces grew by 300% following the release of E.T. All I know is that Reese’s Pieces was all the rage after E.T., and I can’t think of the movie without thinking of how this candy played such a key role.
Which is how I knew that any treat I created to celebrate the anniversary of this amazing movie had to incorporate the signature candy!
About these treats:
These bite sized treats are loads of fun! A chewy brownie cup is filled with peanut butter frosting and topped with Reese’s Pieces. Reese’s Pieces Brownie Cups are a simple treat that is fun to share, and can be made well in advance of any E.T viewing parties or celebrations you have planned!
Here’s what you will need:
As stated above, this is a pretty simple treat. Obviously, you will need Reese’s Pieces, but I’m guessing you have most everything else in your pantry.
Pro Tips:
Yes, I created these to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of my favorite movies, but you can make these for a celebration of your choice. These can be topped with seasonal M&M’s, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or left undecorated. They are good just as they are!
For bite sized treats, use a mini muffin pan. You will want to spray each cup of the pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking, or you can line the cups with mini cupcake liners. I used spray and was pleased with the results.
A piping bag works really well for evenly dividing the brownie batter. Rather than spoon small bits of batter into a tiny muffin cup, squeeze the batter through a bag for an easy, almost mess free method. Fill the cups about 2/3 full.
I usually like my brownies on the under baked side, but these should be baked so that a toothpick inserted and removed from the center of the brownies will have a few moist crumbs, but will not be wet. These brownie bites need to be baked enough to be finger food and fillable.
Brownies should be nice and squish-able, even after baking. Find a small spoon, the handle of a wooden spoon, or some other instrument to press into the center of the brownies after removing them from the oven. I use the back of a melon baller since it has a nice, rounded shape.
You could spoon the peanut butter into the cup, but it’s so much easier to pipe it. If you don’t have a reusable piping bag you can spoon the peanut butter into a ziploc sandwich bag and cut about 1/4 inch off a bottom corner of the bag to create a small opening. Use this as a piping bag for neatly and evenly filled cups.
Reese’s Pieces Brownie Cups
A chewy brownie cup with peanut butter filling and Reese’s Pieces candies makes for a fun bite-sized treat!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 mini cups 1x
- Category: brownies
- Cuisine: dessert
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) melted butter
For the Filling:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
*Garnish with Reese’s Pieces Candy
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a mini muffin baking pan.
For the Brownies: In a medium bowl, mix sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder to combine. Add eggs and melted butter and stir until well incorporated. Divide brownie batter between mini cups, filling each compartment about 2/3 full. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until brownies are done. Brownies may have a bit of a dome in the center when baked. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes before using a tool to gently press a ” cup” into the center of each brownie. Cool completely before filling.
For the Filling: In a small-medium bowl, combine the peanut butter and butter until well blended. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
Assemble: Pipe or spoon filling into cooled brownie cups and top with candies.
Keywords: brownies, cups, mini, bite sized, peanut butter, chocolate, Reese’s Pieces,
More:
When my kids were younger I had them watch E.T with me. The movie has held up really well over time, and it’s worth revisiting. I hope you will consider watching the movie, and that you enjoy some nostalgia with some Reese’s Pieces Brownie Cups.
Also, do you love peanut butter and chocolate as much as I do? Consider trying my Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies or my Easy Peanut Butter Pie which is a no bake dessert.
My husband picked the Reese’s Pieces Brownie Cups from your site for his birthday, and they were an absolute hit! The doubling function made it so easy to scale the recipe, and everything came out perfectly. The brownies were super moist, the filling was fluffy, and the measurements were deliciously perfected! Definitely a recipe I’ll be making again soon! Thank you, Darla!
★★★★★