Instructions

For the brownies

1. Mix brownie batter as per box instructions. Fill the cupcake liners 1/3 full. You might want to start out only filling 6 or 9 of the liners. Because there’s an Oreo in the middle that needs to be completely covered, each cupcake requires a lot of brownie batter; you don’t want to run out and up with insufficient batter to cover your Oreos!
2. Spread a desirable amount of peanut butter on top of each of the 12 Oreos, then nestle one Oreo atop the batter in each liner. Divide remaining brownie batter evenly between cupcakes. Make sure batter fully covers Oreo, especially along the sides.
3. Because these are cupcakes, not pan brownies, the box directions for baking time are more of a guideline. I ended up baking mine for 25-30 minutes, but this may differ depending on how many cupcakes you made and what mix you used.
4. While the cupcakes are baking, make peanut butter frosting (recipe to follow). When brownies are completely cool, frost generously. Pro tip: This frosting also tastes very good on a spoon.
5. Enjoy while watching The Parent Trap, letting the wholesomeness of the movie and your snack serve as a reminder to follow Halley Parker/Annie James’s examples and stick to simple, clean-living indulgences like Oreos and peanut butter, not become a hot mess like miss Lindsey Lohan.

For the frosting

1. Place the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff. Don’t be afraid to play with proportions. These are by no means hard and fast measurements. If you want the peanut butter flavor to be stronger…add more peanut butter. If you like sweeter or thicker frostings…add more sugar. If you like smoother, thinner frostings, add more milk. I don’t believe in settling for less than perfection. So play around until you have your perfect peanut butter frosting!