By Recipe Spinoff’s ten-year anniversary is in six weeks (March 2025). Brayden is one hundred and seventy-four weeks old. Eden is thirty-two weeks old. The peanut caramel brownie bites are the small chocolate-leaning post in the small anniversary-build-up rotation.
The peanut caramel brownie bites are small bite-sized brownies topped with a peanut-caramel mixture, finished with chopped peanuts and a small drizzle of dark-chocolate. The bites are the small two-bite indulgence that the small anniversary-rotation calls for.
Sunday I made twenty-four bites. Dustin had six. I had three. Brayden had two.
Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives. She holds Eden. She plays with Brayden. She drinks the small coffee. We talk for two hours. The small Aunt-Linda-and-Roy small post-retirement rhythm has settled into the small comfortable-pace they have been building since Roy stopped driving.
Dustin’s small Tulsa-shop work continues. The small shop-manager-and-eventually-owner trajectory is in its small mid-phase. Bobby is moving toward the small retirement-handoff. The small five-year-buyout-structure is in its small operational-rhythm.
The small family-of-four routine continues. Brayden goes to school. Eden goes to daycare. Dustin goes to the shop. I do the small catering-and-cookbook-and-blog work. The small days have the small predictable shape that the small steady-state of the small family-with-two-kids assumes.
The small Tulsa-apartment continues to be the small home. We have not yet moved to a small house. The small house-search continues to be on the small slow-burn. The small five-year-down-payment-savings-plan continues to accumulate.
Peanut Caramel Brownie Bites
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 22 minutes | Total Time: 42 minutes | Servings: 24 bites
Ingredients
- 1 box (18.3 oz) fudge brownie mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 24 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped
- 1/2 cup caramel bits (or soft caramel candies, roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Mix the batter. In a large bowl, stir together the brownie mix, eggs, oil, and water until just combined — do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Fill the cups. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of brownie batter into each mini muffin cup, filling about 2/3 full.
- Bake. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted near the edge comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Press in the peanut butter cups. Immediately after removing from the oven, press one miniature peanut butter cup firmly into the center of each brownie bite. The heat will soften it slightly into the top. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Make the caramel drizzle. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine caramel bits and heavy cream. Stir constantly until melted and smooth, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Finish and serve. Drizzle warm caramel over the cooled brownie bites. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Allow caramel to set for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 115mg