Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

If I could only eat one kind of candy for the rest of my life, it would be Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Actually, no. I take that back. It would have to be Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs. There’s just something about it in an egg shape that makes it taste so much better than its round counterpart. I don’t know what it is. But it’s just the egg. Not the Christmas tree or the heart or the pumpkin, although pumpkin comes in a close second. The egg is where it’s at. Maybe it has a different peanut butter to chocolate ratio? I don’t know. All I know is that when they start popping up in stores (around Valentine’s Day this year!), I start hording them. Seriously, throughout the Reese’s Egg season, I buy at least 30, if not more. It’s sick and sad and completely unhealthy. I know. But I just can’t stop. So when I saw Heavenly Housewife make these cookies with peanut butter cups, I just had to try them.

Of course, after all that talk about Reese’s PB Cups and Eggs, I didn’t even use them in these cookies. I’d seen mini peanut butter cups at Trader Joe’s, so I decided to give those a try. Next time I’ll stick with Reese’s. Not that the Trader Joe’s kind are bad. They’re not. They’re just not the same. (That didn’t stop me from eating 2/3rd of the container before I got around to making the cookies though.) The cookies came out really good, despite the fact that I slightly overbaked them and they ended up a little crunchier than I care for. Still warm from the oven, they’re to die for. I’ve already had 4.

I think I’ll go buy up all the Peanut Butter Eggs I can find before Easter’s over and make these again. Ooh or maybe throw some in a peanut butter cookie. Mmmm..

---

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Adapted from From Donuts to Delirium
Makes 2 dozen cookies



1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped peanut butter cups (I used about a 3rd of Trader Joe’s 12oz package of mini peanut butter cups)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, mixing until incorporated. Fold in peanut butter cups.
3. Using a heaping tablespoon or a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until light brown around the edges, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on pan for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.