PBC Brownies

These brownies were so much fun to make, I kept sampling everything before it was cooked. They have chocolate, peanut butter, and cheesecake in them. Hello? Could there be a better dessert combination? They are ideal to take to a barbecue or picnic because they are made in cupcake wrappers so everyone gets an individual serving. Inside each brownie is a peanut butter cheesecake. The center is the consistency of cheesecake not peanut butter. They are best if you make them the day you are going to eat them.

Serves: 18 cupcake brownies
Start-to-Finish: 1 hr + 10 min
Recipe By: Kraft Foods Magazine

Ingredients:

1 pkg brownie mix (you will need an additional eggs, water, and vegetable oil to prepare brownie mix according to package directions)
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese, softened (you can substitute light cream cheese)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip, whipped cream topping
72 chocolate chips, optional for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package.
3. Spoon half of the mix into 18 paper-lined muffin cups. (The other half will be used to cover the cheesecake centers.)
4. Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, peanut butter and vanilla with mixer until blended.
5. Spoon 1 rounded Tbsp. into center of batter in each cup, pressing down into batter. (Don't be afraid to press it down into the batter; it has a tendency to creep up to the top when baking.)
6. Top with the remaining half of the brownie mix. (You may have to use a spatula or your finger to get a nice coverage. This was were all the taste testing began.)
7. Bake 30 min. or until centers are set.
8. Allow to cool before removing from muffin pan.
9. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and chocolate chips or serve as is.