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The devil made me do it.
That’s the only thing that came to mind when I realized that on a day when it was about plus 28 Celsius, I was finally making the cookies that have been niggling in the back of my mind for a long, long time.
I recently posted the base recipe for making the Perfect Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie and used these peanut butter cup cookies as an example in the post. If nothing else, a great chocolate chip cookie recipe was born.
The recipe has garnered a lot of attention on the interwebs, and with a lot of attention comes a lot of questions!
So I thought my best course of action is to now show you exactly HOW to make the peanut butter cup stuffed cookies, since those are definitely the ones I received the most questions about.
It’s not that stuffing a chocolate chip cookie with anything is a new concept, it’s just that I was extremely unsatisfied with any recipe that I came across.
Look at the picture below.
Notice a difference between those and all the other stuffed cookie pictures?
NO LUMP! No bump! No weird shaped cookie.
They look like large chocolate chip cookies, until the unsuspecting victim lucky duck bites into them. I was so happy when these came out of the oven!
Another picture, because I just can’t get over the perfection I achieved.
Eeeek!
They are also cooked all the way around, no gooeyness. The other problem I noticed with other recipes is that the “treat” sinks its way to the bottom of the cookie, every single time.
This had the very large peanut butter cups completely centered! I didn’t want the peanut butter cup just pushed into the top of a cookie, I wanted a hidden treat.
A good rule of thumb is to use very good chocolate chips. If you are going to spend the money on those peanut butter cups, you should indulge in decent chocolate as well. I adore The Decadent chocolate chip from President’s Choice. It is a semi-sweet chocolate with such a unique flavor and the quality is apparent in how they bake up, which is fantastic.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups! I grabbed a package of Snack Size to use, 15 in all. And to clarify even further the questions I have been asked, these are NOT mini’s. These are just snack packs with one whole normal sized peanut butter cup in them, all I could find at the store at the time for bulk amounts.
First you need to whip up my Perfect Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.
The Perfect Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Kick the tires and light the fires to 350 degrees.
- Cream together your butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla, mixing thoroughly.
- Beat in the flour, baking soda and salt.
- When that is done, fold in the two cups of chocolate chips by hand, and prepare to put them on some parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
Nutrition
Voila! This is the only recipe you should use to make stuffed cookies, using a very small of butter in the dough is the real secret here, no melting dough, it holds the “stuffing” firmly in place. There are other chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, but this is tweaked especially for this purpose.
Take a scoop of cookie dough, flatten it slightly to about 1/2 cm thickness and place the peanut butter cup on top.
Take another large scoop and place it on top, then mold and pinch the edges together like you would a perogie or a dumpling. The top of the cookie in your hand will be lovely and flat, thus turning into the bottom!
The reverse shape of the peanut butter cup lends to a great cookie shape, the top is wider and flatter than the bottom, so inverting it straight onto the cookie sheet makes for a perfect cookie.
Because I know it helps readers like myself, I took a measurement of the cookies and most were 2 1/2 inches wide.
I know. I am a geek, I can’t help it.
I always leave a lot more space when trying out something new on a cookie sheet, but I didn’t need to in the slightest. These are not supposed to spread out and they don’t.
Pop those babies into the 350 degree oven for 15-17 minutes, until they are golden brown and ready to come out.
And then they look like this.
Can I again mention the no huge lumps and bumps and sheer cookie perfection or is it just annoying at this point in time?
I can’t help it, I get excited when recipes turn out so fantastic and I just can’t wait to share with everyone, I am impatient like a child at Christmas.
These are large cookies for sure, but a peanut butter cup is large so this is what will happen.
How large is large, you ask?
Well, just wait while I get out my measuring tape, of course!
These cookies ended up being 3.5 inches wide, meaning only .5 inch spread in each direction, an incredibly small distance for that amount of dough.
And in proportion to my hand, which I would like to think is a normal, nice sized hand. So just large enough not to be crazy.
I think that no matter how hot it is, these cookies should be on your list of Must Bake Now! I do apologize for coming up with these right smack in the middle of summer weather.
I am pretty sure that Pandora’s Recipe Box has simply flown open at this point and more chocolate chip cookie recipes are forthcoming. Who wants a chocolate chip cookie recipe that has the cookie stuffed with bacon??
Just kidding, the bacon thing is so over.
Maybe.
Love,
The Peanut Butter Cups Make Me Do Crazy Things Magpie
Karen Hall says
does high humidity affect the batter, my batter was not thick had to put in fridge
AH says
I followed the recipe, but the dough was gooey. It was difficult to shape. The cookies baked ok though.
Shannon Ebbesen says
Nicole Ebbesen Rowan please make me these
Rose-Mary Hall says
You know what happens when you post these on Wednesdays, right? 🙂
ssweetheart270 says
I used this recipe to bake cookies from scratch for the first time. It was a very simple recipe to follow and they turned out great! As a “new” baker, I noticed a couple of things. The first is that the butter at room temperature did not cream with the sugar. I am not sure if others experienced this as well or if this is normal with brown sugar, but nevertheless when mixed enough, they worked out in the end! I also used Chipits which are pretty big chocolate chips, and found that even using less than two cups left alot of extra chocolate chips. But hey – you can never have too much chocolate, right? Thanks for posting this incredible recipe!
thekitchenmagpie says
@ssweetheart270 Ok that photo has me drooling!
ssweetheart270 says
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" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/4786878/" ns="true">thekitchenmagpie thank-you! 🙂
debz3969 says
hi there……just found this recipe today….I’ve been looking for something like this for ages……and made my first batch…..they tasted fantastic…..but I had a real job converting the recipe to grams/ounces…..used a normal conversion chart….but I was a little unsure I had done it right…..think I used too much butter as they spread out immensely!!!!……any chance you could put alternative weights into some of your recipes please…..it would be greatly appreciated x
luftherz says
Thanks for sharing this recipe Karlynn! I just made these today and I’m in love! The measurements were precise and spot on! (I made 14 cookies total, used up all the Reese’s Cups and no dough leftover.) Perfect recipe! They came out light golden brown on the bottoms and soft and chewy inside, just how I love a good chocolate cookie. I’m keeping your recipe forever!
Best of baking! Kevin.
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com
" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/34899019/" ns="true">luftherz WOW I love that you shared a picture! I didn’t even know you could do that….thank you for the feedback, I am so glad you liked them!
Tana27 says
I just tried this recipe, tastes amazing! Although I used margarine instead of butter and the cookies spread quite a bit and ended up almost moulding together! I also ended up with way too many chocolate chips, after I used up all the cookie dough I had about 3/4cup of chocolate chips that just had no space in the dough…. I would for sure make again but would probably only use half the chips 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
SwittersB says
Awesome recipe! However, BACON will never be over. BACON is not a fad…it is a staple! 🙂
MikeAndChris says
You are obviously an experienced baker but filling biscuits with pre-made fillings (is like cheating). Sorry, but I also experiment with baking, especially biscuits but my fillings are all natural. I was impressed with your Webpage but I also think I can give you some tips.
SylviaKornherr says
Well it is a cold, dreary mid February day in Almonte, Ontario and I am surfing the internet for a decandent peanut butter recipe…I am not sure what I enjoyed more; drooling over your excellent recipe or splitting a gut enjoying your humorous instructions! Well done- certainly put a smile on my face even before biting into these babies.
KristanLeighYoungblood says
Yeah umm thanks for this..I do not have any chocolate chips so I am going to cut up kirkland brand peanut butter cups instead…I am still thinking about how the cookies would taste with bacon lol.
Amanda says
Oh. My. Goodness. It’s close to 100 degrees F right now, but I think I may have to turn the oven on anyway. Wow.
Pooja says
Hi 🙂 is there any way that i can make these cookies without eggs? i am a vegetarian so we dont use eggs. n we dont get peanut butter cups here so can i jus use peanut butter?
Karlynn says
That changes the recipe so much that you would have to look up an egg free PB cookie recipe!
Judy says
I don’t know about the egg question but I would suggest you use what the Jewish call a Parved Cookie Recipe. I used to manage a Jewish Baking Plant and we made both Parved cakes & cookies. Parved means it’s made without egg or dairy and I don’t necessarily know how they do it but I do know that unless you’re told you would have no clue you were eating a parved dessert! You should have no trouble finding a recipe online. But I have been filling both my PB & Choc. chip cookies with PB filling for years! To be honest, this is the first I’ve heard of using actual PB cups which btw, is a very good idea! To make my own PB filling I simply combine PB with confectioner (powdered) sugar until it’s at the desired consistency, refrigerate to cool, if need be, just enough to be able to create small balls. Flatten a slightly larger ball of cookie dough and wrap around PB filling ball making sure to seal completely on the bottom. Place cookie balls exactly as they are on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Then using the bottom of your measuring cup or a glass, gently press down on the cookie till it’s at your desired preference in size/thickness (as long as the dough is kept cool, the cookies will not spread out much at all as if they would if the dough was already room temp when put in the oven). Bake at the normal time & temp the cookie dough recipe your using calls for. This filling does not affect your cookies cooking process whatsoever! They turn out perfect every time and the filling stays right where you want it, smack dab in the center! And no one will even know they’re filled till they bite into them! You don’t even necessarily have to bake it inside, you could just bake up some good ole classic cookies and use this PB mixture to make some sandwich cookies. I prefer to fill them myself but either way, they’re delicious! Hopes this helps you & anyone else wondering this very same thing. Enjoy
martha says
seriously, i made these once and have had SO many requests for them since then! just curious if anyone has tried making them with small peanut butter cups (like the kind in the foil)?
KristanLeighYoungblood says
I do not have chocolate chips on hand, so I am going to cut up some little snack size peanut butter cups and add them in instead of the chips..I cannot wait to try them! :D)
hannah says
Taste great but I should have read this comment about humidity first. My dough was so sticky I had to re-wash and grease my hands between each cookie. They spread out to about 6 inches. I’m in Seattle so humidity is always an issue. Any tips for high-humity areas? Should I add more flour?
Karlynn says
Try adding some flour for sure, do you usually have an amount you usually use to adjust due to the humidity? It is a very dry dough so it won’t spread out. Did you also try refrigerating it until cold? That’s one of my tricks that usually works.
Jennifer Yeo Gilmore says
Thanks! So 1 batch makes roughly 12 cookies?
Jen G. says
O.M.G….I CANNOT wait to make these. I noticed you said that you use 1/2 tsp of salt…but if you use salted butter, you omit the salt. I generally bake with unsalted butter so I can control the salt content. Are you saying:
omit salt if using 1/2 cup salted butter
OR
use 1/2 tsp salt with 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Thanks!!
Jen
Karlynn says
Use 1/2 tsp of salt if you use unsalted butter!
MiddleC says
Made these the other day and they were soooo delicious. I had a couple questions though. In the Ingredients there is no amount displayed for salt but in the directions it says to “Beat in the flour, baking soda and salt”, just wondering if there was a certain amount we should be adding or just a dash?? Also when I made these the dough was extremely “wet” and sticky, which made it difficult to mold around the PB cup, was it just the heat of where I live or what could I do to help this? Thanks!!
Karlynn says
Wet and sticky dough always happens to me in high humidty or heat for sure, try chilling it! It should work a lot better then. I just put in 1/2 tsp of salt into the recipe, I usually use salted butter and omit the salt when I do!
Gino says
@Karlynn I have the same issue. I live in a tropical country and it’s almost ALWAYS hot and humid. My first batch (actually my first attempt at baking at all. Your recipe made me do it!!!) came out wet and sticky too even if I followed your instructions and measurements precisely. Will chilling the dough be the solution or should I modify the the recipe a bit to get the desired consistency? Thanks again, excited to to try second batch 🙂
Amy says
Hi! I came across your site when looking up a buttercream recipe. I love all of your recipes and can’t wait to try them out! (I am new to baking) Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
Mindy says
Paul says, “DELICIOUS.”
Doug says
NOM NOM NOM. need to make these
Free2bmeakabecca says
I have no idea how I stumbled upon this blog or this recipe but let me tell you how happy I am I did! I just made this recipe and OMG SO good!!!! thank you thank you thank you:)
Sdrake67 says
I made these two days ago (it was raining, seemed like a good day for baking!). They are AWESOME!! Mine were a little more spread out than yours – I’m thinking I may have used more dough than I needed (it really molds well around the cookie) or pinched them out a bit on the sides. In any case, they still looked and tasted great! I actually really liked the cookie part and may try this recipe just for plain chocolate chip cookies to see how they are with the reduced amount of butter.
BTW – since you are a pb cup freak like me :), I’m not sure if you have had the President’s Choice brand mini peanut butter cups, but I personally think they are better than the original! The ratio of pb to chocolate is perfect and they are so smooth and delicious! Best of all, they aren’t wrapped in foil, so they’re much easier to eat! 🙂
Delightful Bitefuls says
Oh my! This is going to be BAD! My poor thighs 😉
New to your blog; happy I found you!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
Katherine Albright says
This looks and sounds delicious! I’ve pinned this to my pinterest board. Stopping by from Taste-spotting!
Jennifer says
OH MY GOD THESE LOOK AMAZING
Sandy Mathews Pierce says
BTW I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be “that” person picking apart your recipe. When I was growing up we used shortening instead of butter. Thank you for the reply!
Sandy Mathews Pierce says
<3 this! Gotta try it, soon! Going to the store anyway, better score me some pb cups while I’m there! Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
One question you say “the lack of butter is the real secret here,” but there’s butter listed in the recipe above it?
Acanadianfoodie says
Love BIG cookies. Love peanut butter cups and never buy them. These cookies should be ILLEGAL. YUM! The bigger the better – and for breakfast, right? There’s peanut butter….
🙂
Valerie