Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
These chocolate peanut butter cup cookies are loaded with rich, fudgy chocolate goodness and melted pools of creamy peanut butter cup in every bite. Imagine combining a brownie and a peanut butter cup into cookie form, and you've got these delicious cookies.The dough uses melted butter and doesn't require any chilling, so you can satisfy your cookie craving ASAP.
Servings 14 cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 160 grams all purpose flour
- 30 grams cocoa powder Dutch process
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 84 grams unsalted butter melted
- 64 grams peanut butter creamy
- 150 grams brown sugar
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 10 mL vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal
- 56 grams chocolate chips
- 56 grams dark chocolate coarsely chopped into chunks. Substitute with additional chocolate chips if preferred.
- 16 peanut butter cups miniature size. I use dark chocolate variety.
Instructions
- Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350° Fahrenheit (177° Celsius, Gas mark 4).
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Whisk together until fully incorporated. Set aside.160 grams all purpose flour, 30 grams cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- To a large mixing bowl, add melted butter, peanut butter and sugars and stir until well blended.84 grams unsalted butter, 150 grams brown sugar, 50 grams granulated sugar, 64 grams peanut butter
- Add vanilla, whole egg, egg yolk, and salt and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl.10 mL vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add dry ingredients. Stir until just a few flour streaks remain. Stir in the chocolate chips and chunks.56 grams dark chocolate, 56 grams chocolate chips
- Measure cookie dough into 2½ Tablespoon balls (48 grams*). Top each dough ball with a peanut butter cup (right side up). Barely press the peanut butter cup down - just enough to prevent it from falling over.*If you have a #40 medium cookie scoop like I do, use 1½ scoops per cookie. For each cookie, scoop one full scoop, then combine with a half scoop.16 peanut butter cups
- Place 6 cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
- Immediately after removing cookies from oven, place a round cookie cutter or the rim of a wide drinking glass around each baked cookie and gently swirl the edges of the cookie. This will push the cookie into a uniformly round shape.
- Cool cookies on pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool. The melted peanut butter and chocolate will be soft for a while, but will firm up enough to be stacked after a few hours.Repeat with remaining cookie dough, one sheet of 6 at a time, until all cookies are baked.
Notes
- These cookies use Dutch process cocoa powder (also called Dutched or Alkalized cocoa powder). The process of alkalizing, which reduces the acidity, creates a darker colored cocoa and a deeper chocolate flavor.
- I use creamy, conventional store-bought peanut butter with a silky smooth texture. I find that natural peanut butter has a coarser grind than I prefer here.
- I use dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's. There are many different brands and sizes! Refer to my ingredient notes in the recipe post for help choosing the right type.
- For a peanut-free version, use almond butter or sunflower butter in the dough, and swap the peanut butter cups for almond or sunflower butter cups.
- Make sure not to overbake these cookies! Since they are made with a dark dough, you won't be able to use color cues to tell when they are done. They should look much less oily and shiny and have an almost matte finish. They will be set on the outside, but still soft in the center. They will become more dense as they cool.
- For uniformly round cookies like you see in my photos - immediately after removing cookies from oven, place a round cookie cutter or the rim of a wide drinking glass around each baked cookie. Gently swirl and nudge the edges of the cookie inward. This will push the cookie into a uniformly round shape.