Brownies - From Hershey's Baking Chocolate -
4 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
(1 ounce = 3 tablespoons cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon shortening or oil)
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 18 muffin cups. In large microwave-safe bowl, place chocolate and butter. Microwave at HIGH 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Add sugar; stir with spoon until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour (and nuts, if desired). Stir until well blended.
Filling
1 1/2 Cups creamy peanut butter
2 - 4 Tbs Powdered sugar (depends on moistness of PB)
Icing
1 Tbs. Crisco shortening
1 Cup Powdered sugar
Whole milk
Prepare brownie mix and fill muffin tins 1/2 full. In a small bowl, stir powdered sugar into peanut butter until stiff enough to roll in the palms of your hands. Roll into small balls and flatten (about 2 teaspoons, but adjust so they will stay surrounded by batter in your muffin cups). Place 1 PB disk in each muffin cup and press lightly into place. Cover with remaining batter and bake 25 minutes or until done. The top should glaze over, but you want them chewy inside. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Remove cooled PB cups. Mix shortening and powdered sugar with just a teaspoon or so of milk at a time until smooth and of piping consistency. Make sure it will hold a string shape and not spread out. I use a simple plastic sandwich bag for this high tech dessert!! Fill bag 1/3 full and twist the open end. Snip the very tip of the corner off. Pipe two concentric circles on the top of the cups. One at the outer edge, one half-way to the center. Then put a dot in the center. Now make your web lines accross the top, crossing at the center dot. Connect to the outer ring and go over the edge slightly. Three lines are enough to make an effective web. If desired, set a plastic spider ring in the fresh frosting to put it over the top.
Stage one - you can use any compliant brownie recipe, but stay away from the light, cakey ones. Heavy and chewy is better here.