Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Cups

I found this recipe in the Kraft Food & Family magazine. I didn't follow it exactly, because I practically never follow a recipe exactly. Mainly, it called for a brownie mix (13x9 inch pan size), which I didn't have, so I made my own brownies.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Cups

for brownies:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 6 T cocoa
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 T vanilla

Combine cocoa and sugar; cream mixture with margarine. Add eggs; mix well. Add flour and mix. Add vanilla. Spoon batter into 20 paper-lined muffin cups; set aside.

for cheesecake:

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, peanut butter and vanilla with mixer until blended. Spoon 1 rounded Tbsp. into center of batter in each cup, pressing down slightly into batter. Bake 30 minutes at 350° or until centers are set. Remove from oven and remove brownie cups to rack to cool. While they are still hot, place 4 or 5 chocolate chips on the top of each brownie cup. When chocolate chips begin to melt, use a knife to spread them over the top of each brownie cup.

I added the chocolate chips to the top because the original recipe called for Cool Whip and cherries on top, and that just didn't seem right to me, but they just needed a little something on top. I also changed the name from Brownie 'Babies' to 'Cups' because calling them babies made it sound like they should be made in the mini muffin cups, and they are definitely full size. And they are definitely yummy - I don't think you can go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.

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