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Delicious Buckeye Brownie Recipe
Several years ago we visited Hershey, PA. While we were there, we took the Trolley Works tour during which they tell you the history of this town built on chocolate. The story that stuck with me most is the story of how Reese’s Peanut Butter cups came to be. After all, who doesn’t love Reese’s Cups?
How Did Reese’s Cups Come to Be?
Let me give you a spoiler…Milton Hershey didn’t like the idea of chocolate and peanut butter! He said he didn’t think it would be popular or something like that. I just remember we all cracked up at that. The candy was created by H. B. Reese who was a dairy farmer and shipping foreman for Hersey. Needless to say, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups did indeed become very popular, and the rest, as they say, is history. If you want the whole story, you can read REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups: The Untold Story: Inventor, H.B. Reese
Now, you can find desserts with chocolate and peanut butter in them all over. One of my favorite sweet treats is brownies! They’re so chewy and chocolatey. You can make them in so many ways, but this is the way we had them for our Super Bowl party.
Buckeye Brownies
These brownies start with a basic brownie recipe, but if you wanted to cheat, I suppose you could use a mix. But don’t! Trust me, this is better.
This is the first batch of brownies my daughter has made with her KitchenAid Classic 4-1/2-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
This brownie recipe is our very favorite. Sometimes we add chocolate chips, but with Buckeye Brownies, you’ve got to add Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips instead!
The first thing you want to do is melt 2/3 cup of butter and boil 1/2 cup of water. Set those off to the side while you mix the cocoa powder and baking soda. Once that is mixed, add half of the melted butter (1/3 c.) and the boiling water to the mixture. Mix this until it thickens.
Add 2 cups of white sugar and 2 eggs (one at a time between mixing). Then add the remaining butter and mix until smooth.
Once that is mixed, add 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp. salt to the mixture and stir until it is combined.
Finally, add one full bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips to the mixture and stir gently.
Pour this into a greased 9×13 cake pan
Once it is out of the oven and cooled, you can make your buckeye brownies topping.
Buckeye Brownie Recipe Topping
For the topping you are going to want to mix 1 cup of softened butter and 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter with 5 cups of powdered sugar. Unless you have a massive mixer, you need to add half of the powdered sugar at a time or it will fly all over the place….not that that happened to us…..
Then add a tsp. of vanilla and mix it well.
You’re not going to need all of this for your topping, so you can roll the rest into peanut butter balls or dip them in melted chocolate and have some good old buckeyes to go with your buckeye brownies!
Drop the buckeye topping by spoonfuls all over the cooled brownies and press it down gently with your hands.
Just a side note…see my napkin holder? I know it is ancient, but it was my grandma’s so I love it and think of her whenever I use it.
Finally, melt a full bag of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips in the microwave, or however you prefer. Be sure you stir them every 30 seconds. Once they are completely melted, pour this over the peanut butter. We put ours in the refrigerator because they are really good cold, but you don’t have to refrigerate them.
Print the recipe here
Buckeye Brownies
Ingredients
- Brownies:
- 3/4 c. cocoa powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 2/3 c. butter melted
- 1/2 c. boiling water
- 2 c. white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 c. flour
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 bag Reese's Peanut Butter Chips
- For the Buckeye Topping:
- 1 c. butter softened
- 5 c. powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- For the Chocolate Topping:
- 1 bag Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Grease 9x13 cake pan
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Combine cocoa and baking soda in a large bowl or mixer bowl
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Stir in half of the melted butter and the boiling water
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Stir until mixture thickens
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Stir in sugar and eggs, mixing in one egg at a time
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Add the remaining butter and mix until smooth
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Add flour, vanilla, and salt and stir until combined
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Gently stir in peanut butter chips
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Buckeye Topping Instructions
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Mix butter, peanut butter and half of the powdered sugar
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Slowly mix in the rest of the powdered sugar
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Add vanilla
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Mix until combined
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Drop spoonfuls of topping onto cooled brownies
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Press buckeye topping onto brownies until they are covered
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For the Chocolate Topping
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Melt one bag of Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted
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Pour over buckeye topping and smooth it over the entire thing
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Either refrigerate or let sit until chocolate hardens
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Enjoy!
I didn’t think you could improve upon a buckeye, but you certainly did just that. I can’t wait to try your brownies. Peanut butter and chocolate are meant to be together forever. 🙂
I agree! I still remember the “Who put their chocolate in my peanut butter commercials!”
Oh my. I gained 10 pounds just looking at the delicious pictures. I love leftovers…
Me too!
This recipe looks delish
We’re big fans of brownies here. Hubby and my son would probably love to see these on the kitchen table!
I’m sure they’d appreciate you for making them too lol!
This is something we always make and take especially for family gatherings and potlucks. We never bring home any.
I know, the good stuff is always the first to go!
I am typically not a huge brownie fan, but these brownies I could get on board with. I love the fact that they have Reese’s peanut butter in them. That’s the kicker for me.
Yes, Reese’s makes everything better!
These look delicious! Now I am craving some sweet brownies. I have never made buckeye brownies. I will have to give this recipe a try.
They are so good! Enjoy!
Yummmm! These look so good! I’ve been baking a lot more recently, and I think this would be a hit at our house!
I’m sure it would be!
I have never heard of buckeye brownies. This looks like a delicious variation on my boring traditional brownies that I make. I am going to try these out for my daughter’s next play date.
I’m sure they’ll love them!
Congrats on the KitchenAid Mixer! I loved the one I had before I moved and sold it to my sister, lol. Those desserts look really decadent.
Now your sister can bake for you!
Oh my goodness! These brownies are to die for! They look so decadent and I know it will be a winner in my family. Peanut butter and chocolate in one brownie fix! Yum.
Yes, they are so amazing!
I just recently started to like brownies because I was never before a fan of chocolate until now. But Reeses Pieces butter cups, I love. A lot. This sounds good.
I do too! They’re my favorite candy.
These delicious buckeye brownies sound so good. I love the buckeye mix in the middle which is delicious in itself. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Yes, the filling makes them so great!
It’s been a while since I made some brownies. I like your recipe, it is something I would love to try since it is different w from the recipe that I always make.
You should try them. They’re so good!
I love brownies but I don’t know how to do it. Thanks for your recipe and steps, I can try to do it on my own. Wish me luck!
You’re welcome!
I am craving sweet things right now and these brownies look amazing!! YUM!!
They are! Enjoy!
Oh peanut butter and chocolate is soooo good! That combination will get me into trouble because I want to eat all of it!
Me too! It is a problem…a good one lol.
Chocolate and peanut butter are BAE. I love it. It get me every single time. I will be making this…..
Seriously! They’re amazing!
This is making me really crave brownies! and I just had dinner.
They are so good!
as soon as you added peanut butter i was sold. lol. i love anything with pb. so delish
I agree!
Looks so good! I love the idea of adding peanut butter to this recipe@
They’re awesome!
I am so jealous with the stand up mixer! 🙂
I will try this recipe using a hand mixer.
That works too!
Drooling! My boys will kill for these! Yummmm!
I love peanut butter & chocolate together, these look delicious!
They are amazing!