Halloween leftovers: Peanut butter cup and Snickers crunch brownies

Let's address the all-important issue of what to do with leftover Halloween candy. 

Besides the obvious of sneaking in a piece here and there until suddenly it's December (or earlier) and you've consumed them all without any conscious memory of tearing open those wrappers and having "just one small piece."

Don't do it. Instead, sift through those bags you optimistically bought but ended up with less trick or treaters this year than last year or else go through that hard-earned pile your kids gathered traipsing through the neighborhood. Pull out the Snickers and the Reese's peanut butter cups and use them for this recipe.

You make the brownie layer and right before it's done, you sprinkle it with chopped toasted peanuts and chopped peanut butter cups and Snickers, return it to the oven for a few minutes, just long enough for the candy to begin to melt, then you take it out and top it with a rice krispie peanut butter chocolate mixture that will make you salivate. 

It's similar in concept to my Nutella crunch topping but uses peanut butter instead of Nutella. You can't see the middle layer very well in the picture since it's smothered by the Rice Krispie peanut butter chocolate topping but rest assured, every bite of this brownie will give you the full impact of how much goodness you can turn that candy into. 

If you're a peanut butter and chocolate lover, this is a brownie must-make and have-to-consume. After it cools completely, it's easy to cut and share with others so not only are you not the only one eating all that leftover Halloween candy but you (and your friends and family) are also consuming it in a much loftier fashion. These also freeze well for future consumption.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Brownie layer
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Middle layer
1/2 cup peanuts, toasted
1/2 cup peanut butter cups, chopped
1/2 cup Snickers, chopped 

Top layer
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9- x 9-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 

2. Melt butter and chocolate in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water on medium heat, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. 

3. Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour and salt. By hand, stir enough to emulsify the batter and bring it together but do not overbeat or your brownies will be cakey rather than fudgy if too much air is whipped into them.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top with a knife. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.

5. Remove brownies from the oven and sprinkle the top with the peanuts, chopped peanut butter cups and chopped Snickers. Return to the oven and bake for 3-5 additional minutes.

6. While the brownies are finishing up in the oven, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the Rice Krispies until evenly coated. Remove the brownies from the oven and pour the chocolate and peanut butter mixture over top. Spread to cover evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting into 24 squares. Share.