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peanut butter cup cookies

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

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  • Author: Caitlin
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 8 mins
  • Total Time: 18 mins
  • Yield: 40 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Holiday
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

The PERFECT Christmas cookie: soft yet chewy, salty yet sweet. Santa will thank you! (And so will everyone else!) 🙂


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 C butter
  • 1/2 C white sugar
  • 1/2 C peanut butter (I recommend using an off brand)
  • 1/2 C packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 40 mini Reese's, unwrapped (see notes for a different option)
  • Sprinkles for decorating (optional)

Instructions

  1. Begin by mixing 1 3/4 C of flour, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of baking soda into a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, melt 1/2 C of butter, then add in 1/2 C white sugar, 1/2 C creamy peanut butter, and 1/2 C packed brown sugar and mix until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg, then add in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 Tbsp of milk. Mix to combine all ingredients.
  3. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredient bowl and mix well. Eventually you may have to use your hands (that's the fun part!) Once mixed, you can either continue with making the cookies or you can cover and refrigerate the dough overnight until you're ready to bake.
  4. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Begin rolling the dough into 1 inch balls and place them into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake for 8 minutes then remove from oven and immediately press one mini peanut butter cup into each ball, until flush with the top of the dough. (*The dough might seem underbaked after 8 minutes but it's not, it's perfect, trust me!) 
  5. Allow to melt slightly for a few minutes, then top with sprinkles. Move the pan to the refrigerator or freezer until set (or mostly set), then you can easily remove each cookie by popping it out of the mini muffin pan with a butter knife.
  6. Enjoy!! Store in an airtight sealed container for up to 1 week. If you have to stack them, be sure to refrigerate them until solid, as the chocolate stays runny for quite a while!

Notes

Shopping:  In addition to making sure you have enough cookie baking staples (all-purpose flour, salt, butter, white sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, vanilla extract, and eggs) you'll also want to pick up a jar of off-brand creamy peanut butter, a bag of miniature peanut butter cups, and some milk! (For the recipe and for devouring cookies!) 

Substitutions: If you don't like peanut butter cups or don't have a mini muffin pan, you can make the peanut butter cookie dough and smash them with a fork to make regular peanut butter cookies, or top with a Hershey kiss to make a blossom cookie! (See post notes for details on making blossoms.) 

Prep: The biggest note for prep is to make sure you unwrap your peanut butter cups before you begin baking the dough. You'll need to press them into the baked dough immediately after baking so you won't have time to unwrap all of them before the cookies cool! 

Baking: These peanut butter cup cookies bake at 375 degrees for only 8 minutes and may appear to be underbaked when you remove them after that time but they're not! They're the perfect level of chewy and any further baking will result in the cookie becoming hard. Also note, placing the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer after inserting the peanut butter cup allows the chocolate to cool enough to easily remove them from the muffin pan. 

Storage: If you're short on time, the prepped dough can be covered and refrigerated overnight before baking. Finished cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week

Freezing: Leftover cookies (whatever those are) can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Simply allow set them out to allow them to reach room temperature before eating. 

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