Desserts Required

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

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A Happy Baker

Peanut Butter Surprise CookiesIt isn’t often that a dessert I am baking stumps me. This is not because I believe I am foolproof when it comes to baking. If the truth be told, I tend to bake with ingredients I love and with which I am comfortable. This in turn makes baking easier for me.

Until…

I got this idea to bake a peanut butter cup inside a peanut butter cookie. It sounded like a no-brainer. I mean, really, it just couldn’t be any easier!

Until…

I came up with a peanut butter cookie recipe that I thought would be great, baked up a batch of giant cookies stuffed with a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup and found that the ratio was off. The peanut butter cups were too small and, to make matters more frustrating, the dough was a bit dry.

I shaped the next batch using a smaller cookie dough scoop and thought that this was a better ratio, only to determine the cookie was still too dry. I then went another route altogether and baked the third batch in an 8” x 8” baking pan. I put a layer of cookie dough on the bottom, topped that layer with TONS of peanut butter cups and then topped those with more cookie dough. Once this was baked and cooled, I drizzled melted chocolate over the top.

I sent them out to friends and neighbors, nearly waking up sleeping children because I was on a mission. The feedback was wonderful but I was still concerned that the dough was a bit dry. Not, “OMG, I can’t swallow” dry, but rather, “I want a glass of milk to go with these” dry. Not a bad thing, but I was still not entirely satisfied.

So, being the insane person that I am, I baked one more round; this time making the smaller cookies and shortening the baking time. I can’t tell you how silly I felt when they came out just right and I realized that I had been overbaking the cookies all along.

I felt rather foolish wondering where my brain cells had gone for something that should have been obvious. Fortunately, I am of the mindset that as long as the light bulb goes on, I am a happy baker. I just hope that my next recipe does not take as long!


Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies
5.0 from 2 reviews
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Recipe Type: Dessert, Cookies
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 38
Ingredients
  • Cookies:
  • 1¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1¼ cups creamy peanut butter
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 38 Reese's miniature peanut butter cups
  • Topping:
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
  1. For the cookies:
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
  4. Combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and sugar in large bowl. Beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Blend in the dry ingredients.
  5. Flatten 2 teaspoons of dough in the palm of one hand. Place a Reese's mini peanut butter cup in the center of the dough. Wrap the edges around the peanut butter cup. You may have to maneuver the dough to go over the top.
  6. Bake in a 350° oven for 14 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.
  7. For the topping:
  8. Place the melted butter into a quart size plastic freezer bag. Seal and cut a small corner off the end that does not zip. Squeeze the chocolate over the cookies in a decorative pattern.

 

 

Desserts Required - Betsy's Favorite Things

Comments

  1. OMG!! What a surprise and a treat and a delicious heavenly visit I got to make to BETSY’s house to eat these!!!! They are sooo yum. Omg. I inhaled three in 40 seconds flat. THANKS, BETSY!!! Amazing as always!!! If you like peanut butter cookies, this is the EXTREME version and sooo delish!

    Reply

  2. These sound absolutely yummy, Betsy. Too bad your dad doesn’t like peanut butter, but I’ll bet you can find something else for him when you and I enjoy these peanut butter treats.
    Eunice

    Reply

  4. I’m sure I would have LOVED to eat your “failures.” I have tried baking cookies with several kinds of candy in the past few months, and only one turned out very well. I tried Rolo stuffed sugar cookies. Flop. I tried two different kinds of malted milk ball cookies. No. I tried something else that I’ve already blocked out now, so it must not have been very good. I’m impressed that you made these beautiful peanut butter cup cookies. They look awesome! Pinned of course 🙂

    Reply

    • Andi,

      I feel your pain!

      I have not figured out why so many ‘candy’ desserts fail, but I love the successes so much that I continue to bang my head against the wall to have one! 🙂

      Thanks for pinning, too!

      Reply

    • Kim a/k/a The Ninja Baker,

      Thank you for your comment and for pinning! We always hear that perseverance pays off, but sometimes it is just so darn frustrating along the way! 🙂

      Reply

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