Chocolate-Stuffed Peanut Butter Brownies

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Stuffed Peanut Butter Brownies

1 1/3 cup packed brown sugar                                 

¼ cup butter, melted                                                

½ cup creamy peanut butter                                    

1 tsp. vanilla                                                             

3 eggs                                                                    

1 ½ cups flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

36 peanut butter cups, bite-sized

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom and sides of 9x13 pan with baking spray.  In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended.  Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut 12 of the peanut butter cups into fourths.  Stir cut-up candies and chocolate chips into batter. Spread in pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately press remaining 24 candies in brownies in 4 even rows of 6 candies each.  Cool completely, about 1 ½ hours.

*Instead of cutting up peanut butter cups to add to batter, sometimes you can find miniature peanut butter cups in your baking section of the grocery store to use instead, but you still need 24 big candies to top the brownies with.