Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars
So, do you happen to remember the insane brownies that I made quite awhile ago, the Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars? They’re a layer of brownies, then ooey gooey marshmallows, and then topped with a combination of melted chocolate, peanut butter and Rice Krispies.
Well, those brownies and these brownies could be twin sisters. What’s going on here is a layer of chewy, fudgy brownies, topped with peanuts and chopped peanut butter cups, and then topped off with that same melted chocolate/peanut butter/Rice Krispies mixture. Insanity. In an insanely good way.
I found a version of this recipe over on Babble – it includes a full-on peanut butter layer in the middle instead of the peanuts and peanut butter cups. I may have to give that one a shot too. Oh, who am I kidding? “May?” Of COURSE I am going to make those too!
For the brownie base of these you can use your favorite brownie recipe. They are best with a chewy, fudgy brownie vs. a cakey brownie. I think these Chewy Brownies are perfect for the job, but use whatever you’d like, just make sure it’s a recipe for a 9×13-inch baking dish (not an 8×8 or 9×9).
(I also used the chewy brownies as a base for my very favorite chocolate peanut butter brownies, as well as my buckeye brownies; you have to give those a try, too!)
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Don’t say I didn’t warn you about how addicting these are, but your life will certainly be more complete with these babies in it!
Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 batch of your favorite brownie recipe for a 9×13-inch pan, I recommend Chewy Brownies
- ½ cup (73 g) salted peanuts
- 8 Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped
- 1½ cups (270 g) milk chocolate chips
- 1½ cups (387 g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ tablespoon (0.5 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups (42 g) Rice Krispies cereal
Instructions
- 1. Prepare the brownies according to the directions and bake for about 5 minutes less than the recipe states. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with the peanuts and chopped peanut butter cups. Return to the oven and bake for 5 additional minutes.
- 2. While they are finishing baking, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the cereal to evenly coat. Remove the brownies from the oven and evenly pour the chocolate and peanut butter mixture over top. Spread to cover evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting and serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Hello! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Two quick questions regarding the Rice Krispies-
1) Did you use the original Rice Krispies cereal (which has added sugar) or unsweetened puffed rice cereal?
2) Would it be possible to make this with corn flakes in place of the rice krispies (and if so, would sweetened or unsweetened be better)?
Hi Francesca, Answers to your questions:
1) I used original Rice Krispies
2) You could definitely use corn flakes if you’d like; I think sweetened or unsweetened would be personal preference.
Michelle – any idea on whether these freeze well like your Buckeye Brownies do?
Hi Jackie, I’ve never frozen these, I’m just not sure how the marshmallow layer would freeze/thaw. If you do it, let me know how they do!
I tried a few out for a beta test in the freezer. They did well. The topping showed cracks when taking bites (which didn’t as fresh) and maybe a slight change to the texture of the topping. But overall, if you never had the fresh ones, you’d never know. They were still great :) And no problem with the marshmallow… there isn’t any in the recipe *eyebrow raise* ;)
I give these a thumbs up for freezer-ability — at least for short term. We had them frozen for a couple of weeks. They were individually wrapped in saran, then bagged, as you advised me on the Buckeye Brownies. Placed in fridge to thaw and taken out a short time before gobbling… I mean enjoying! Cheers!
I made these for my wife’s office a couple of times then I made a batch for a silent auction that some of them were going to attend. They sold for $150!!
Love love love these!
Just made these bars. They turned out beautiful. They were really easy to make.
Wow, this article is nice, my sister is analyzing these kinds of things, so I am going to
convey her.
Hey, I made these using the brownie recipe you recommended but in a 9 X 13 pan mine seemed to be much thicker than your pic. I like thinner layers when making a layered dessert like this. Your pic. looks exactly how I would like them but mine rose much higher. Did you use a 9X13? I feel like mine would have been thinner if I had used a larger pan or not all of the dough. they tasted good but were just too “high”; not as pleasant to bite into. Any suggestions? I enjoy many of your recipes and your instructions are helpful! MomStarr
I did make these in a 9×13-inch pan. Did you use the Chewy Brownies recipe, or another? Not all brownie recipes are created equal, and some rise higher than others. Mixing methods can also lead to brownies rising higher than intended.
Hey Michelle, Thanks so much for responding. If you don’t mind another question. :) I did use the chewy brownie recipe; perhaps I did something wrong in the mixing step. Would you mind telling me about mixing methods and how not to do it? i am trying to learn more about baking and your recipes are so yummy. Thanks again.
If you overbeat the batter with the eggs it can lead to a cakier texture than a fudge-like texture.
I made these for my boyfriend’s birthday last year & he absolutely loved them! He didn’t want to share with anybody haha. He’s brought them up a few times & has told his friends of this wonderful creation I baked for him. I plan to make them for our anniversary! (: Thanks for the great recipe!
What size Reese’s cups are you supposed to use? Just the regular?
Yes, regular-size.
These look absolutely scrumptious!!! I want a plate of these now!
mmmmm…peanut butter & chocolate!
I made these this past weekend for a campout and they were the first dish to disappear! Everyone loved them! I will definitely keep this recipe for future reference! Thanks!
I printed out the recipe and marked “perfection” across the top! I don’t think I can eat plain browines again. These are my new favourite treat!
INSANITY!!! They are sitting in my fridge right now to firm up and I’m trying hard to resist the urge to go at the pan with a spoon. Thanks… I think… for sharing this one!
I’ve made these twice now, using the King Arthur Flour Guaranteed Fudge Brownies as the base (which is my go-to, basic brownie recipe). Epic win with all tasters! (Interestingly, though, two coworkers couldn’t figure out that the “crunch” came from Rice Krispies!)
What kind of peanut butter did you use? Sweetened or Natural?
Hi Kris, I didn’t use natural, although I’ve never heard of sweetened peanut butter. I just used “regular” peanut butter, a la Jif.
Decadence! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out great! Took them to work and got rave reviews. Thank you!
This recipe looks decadent!
I made these and absolutely loved them as did my husband. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these yesterday and absolutely loved them as did my husband and son! Thank you for the recipe!
Oh my. I will be making these at the earliest opportunity.
Whoopsie daisy.. another delicious brownie that I could eat while watching the sun sets. I love this brownie recipe. <3
As an update for those contemplating making lots of these, or anyone who uses chopped up Reeses for any other purpose, Reeses is now selling 5 lb. bags of chopped Reeses cups. At my local wholesale food outlet (Cash n’ Carry) they went for about $21 per bag. Quite a bit cheaper than buying individual bars, especially if you have a fetish, oops, I mean, use a lot of these for baking.
Thank you!
Hello! Could you please tell me the temperature that you used?
Thank you
Charlie
Hi Charlie, You would use whatever oven temperature is called for in the brownie recipe you choose to use for the base.
Just last week , I made these for my favorite scratch cook to enter in a charity fundraising contest at her work. All entries received votes from employees in the office (a large state agency) who had to pay for the samples they ate. Whoever raised the most money would win. The bars were a big hit ( I cut up the pan into 60 sample pieces) and they ended up tying for first place with another employee (cooking school grad, don’t you know) who used 7 entries to garner as many votes as we did with just these bars. Of course they ran out, but one fellow still contributed money simply because he said the description sounded so good. (I’ll be making him a special private sample.)
What a great idea for a fundraiser! Glad these bars helped to raise some money!
I made these yesterday for a group of women & they were so good. I may have added more butter though since my top was a tad softer than your picture (I think I added 1-1/2 Tbsp instead of 1/2 Tbsp… but I’m not sure), I did serve them from the fridge though so my guess is that helped them stay firm. (I was slightly distracted while making them!) I had at least 10 requests for the recipe & sent them to your site. I even made the brownies you suggested (I don’t know if I’ve ever made brownies from scratch before). Thanks for another winning recipe. I think this one tops the marshmallow crunch brownies in my book!
These look amazing. What a great combination of flavors and textures. I have to make these. Your blog makes me crazy! Each day something else too delicious for words.
AWESOME! I made these for my wife yesterday. We needed a large glass of milk to go with it, but I think you already knew that! Thanks for the recipe!
Absolutely mouth-watering pictures! I want to try making them.
Charlie, 12 year old food blogger