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Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Cupcakes

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After my recipe, the Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Bars, pretty much became the most popular dessert on Pinterest this week, I started getting the same question over and over. Would this recipe work as a cupcake? Well, I was thinking the same thing! Let’s make these brownies portable!  And that’s just what I did.

I didn’t change a single ingredient because when it’s perfect (and these brownies are PERFECT!), you don’t mess with what’s in it. I just modified how it was made to make it fit into a cupcake pan. And you know what? I think the cupcake version is even better! Why? First of all, you know exactly what portion size you are getting every time. Second, with the cupcake version, it’s a little crunchy on the entire outer rim yet soft and moist and all kinds of yummy on the inside. It’s perfection!! Here’s how I did it:

Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients

cupcake ingredients

Crust

  • 2 ½ cups crushed butter pretzels
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • 5 tbsp sugar

Cookie Layer

  • Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
  • 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Water
  • 1 Egg

Brownie Layer

  • Brownie Mix (13×9 family size)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Snack Size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (2 – 10.5oz bags)

1.  Crush the pretzels in a food processor or however you like to crush pretzels. Any kind of pretzels will do but I recommend using crushed butter pretzels (you find them next to the regular pretzels and they are literally called “Synder Butter Pretzels”) for the recipe. I also recommend not crushing the pretzels to dust but keep some small pieces to keep the crust crunchy. Mix the melted butter (melt in microwave), sugar and pretzel crumbs. Press 1 heaping TBSP of pretzel mix into each lightly greased cupcake cup with a total of 24 cupcakes.

pretzel crust on a spoon

I didn’t use cupcake liners because I thought they would look more fabulous without a liner covering up the beautiful yummy-ness. (I was right, by the way!) Set aside pretzel crust and make the cookie dough.

2. Make the cookie dough according to the package. The easiest way I found to fit the cookie dough in the cupcake cups was to roll out the dough and cut out circles with a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter. It cuts the dough into perfect circles for the pan. Lightly set the dough circles onto the pretzel crust.

cookie dough

3. Unwrap 24 snack-size Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and place one into each cup.

peanut butter cups on cookies

4. Whip up your brownie mix and pour 2 tablespoons of brownie over each peanut butter cup.

brownie pouring on candy

You can sprinkle chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on top of the brownie batter if you want. It just depends on how many calories you want to pack in these bad boys! 🙂

brownie cookies in pan

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes.

brownies in an oven

6. Cool for about 15 minutes and then slightly loosen the edges from the pan with a sharp knife. When you get the knife under the cupcake, they should pop right out of the pan easily.

Best. Cupcakes. Ever.

stack of peanut butter brownies
peanut butter brownies

Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Cupcakes

Hollie Schultz
A portable, layered dessert based on the very popular Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Bars.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 servings
Calories 428 kcal

Ingredients
  

Pretzel Crust

  • 2 1/2 cups butter pretzels crushed
  • 1 cup butter melted
  • 5 tbsp sugar

Cookie Layer

  • 1 pkg Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 egg

Brownie Layer

  • 1 box Brownie Mix 13×9 family size
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 24 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Snack Size

Instructions
 

  • Crush the pretzels in a food processor or however you like to crush pretzels. Any kind of pretzels will do but I recommend using crushed butter pretzels (you find them next to the regular pretzels and they are literally called “Synder Butter Pretzels”) for the recipe. I also recommend not crushing the pretzels to dust but keep some small pieces to keep the crust crunchy. Mix the melted butter (melt in microwave), sugar and pretzel crumbs. Press 1 heaping TBSP of pretzel mix into each lightly greased cupcake cup with a total of 24 cupcakes.
  • I didn’t use cupcake liners because I thought they would look more fabulous without a liner covering up the beautiful yummy-ness. (I was right, by the way!) Set aside pretzel crust and make the cookie dough.
  • Make the cookie dough according to the package. The easiest way I found to fit the cookie dough in the cupcake cups was to roll out the dough and cut out circles with a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter. It cuts the dough into perfect circles for the pan. Lightly set the dough circles onto the pretzel crust.
  • Unwrap 24 snack-size Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and place one into each cup.
  • Whip up your brownie mix and pour 2 tablespoons of brownie over each peanut butter cup.
  • You can sprinkle chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on top of the brownie batter if you want. It just depends on how many calories you want to pack in these bad boys!
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes.
  • Cool for about 15 minutes and then slightly loosen the edges from the pan with a sharp knife. When you get the knife under the cupcake, they should pop right out of the pan easily.

Notes

I didn’t use cupcake liners because I thought they would look more fabulous without a liner covering up the beautiful yummy-ness. (I was right, by the way!) Set aside pretzel crust and make the cookie dough.
You are using full-size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (called Snack Size) and NOT the minis.

Nutrition

Calories: 428kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 6gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 407mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 276IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 2mg
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Recipe Rating




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Erin

Wednesday 16th of September 2015

I'm confused...reading the recipe instructions it says to use 1 TBSP (tablespoon) for the crust but in the comments you say Teaspoon. Which is correct, TABLEspoon or TEAspoon?

lauren

Monday 9th of December 2013

Can you use cupcake liners? I want to make these for the holidays and want to fancy them up with festive liners? THX!

Hollie Schultz

Monday 9th of December 2013

Yep, there is no reason why you could use cupcake liners. :)

Maia

Monday 24th of June 2013

These were delicious! The only glitch I ran into was that I had tons of extra pretzel crust leftover. I made it exactly to the recipe, and even added more into the cupcakes after the initial heaping teaspoon, because one teaspoon seemed scarce. Any idea what could have gone wrong?

Jenn

Saturday 27th of October 2012

I am not a baker, but with a lot of effort, made these and they came out perfectly! The prep time was longer than I had anticipated, only because I'm not used to baking, but I just followed ur directions and now have a great party snack! Thank u so much for sharing!

Christina

Friday 8th of June 2012

Awesome recipe!!!! I did not have Reese's Cups on hand so I did a layer of dark choc chips (I don't like milk choc anyway) and a layer of peanut butter/powdered sugar (mixed until it was the consistency of a Reece's Cup center.) I just read someone had a problem with the crust...I did the same thing, I read the recipe wrong...2 1/2 cups of pulverized pretzels...but I measured 2 1/2 cups of pretzels first and them crushed them. Once I figured it out, back into the mixer it went- problem solved. I was so bummed that my pretzel crust bottoms fell off as others did...I had a good pan and greased the hoo haa out of it...a very time involved recipe but with the flavor combination how could it NOT be worth a second try???! Next time I'll use paper liners.

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