My Creative Process

Frosted Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

If you are a chocolate and peanut butter lover, watch out. This recipe combines three of my favorite things. Soft peanut butter cookies, Reese's peanut butter cups, and chocolate frosting. The peanut butter cup is hidden inside the cookie and is a delightful surprise when you take a bite. I use the full sized cups and cut them into fourths. Or, you can use the miniature Reese's pb cups, one per cookie. But those require lots of unwrapping, which is why I use the bigger cups. You can also buy unwrapped pb cups that are in the baking section. I have also hidden candy kisses inside, and that is delicious too. So whatever you prefer, or have on hand to go inside will work great.

To start things off, you need a good peanut butter cookie recipe. I have tried many over the years and this one is my favorite by far. The recipe comes from my husband's grandmother, whom I never had the privilege of meeting. She loved to bake and sew. I know I would have adored her. So, when I discovered her peanut butter cookie recipe, I knew I needed to try it. I was delighted. They turned out to be the perfect peanut butter cookie. They are soft and melt in your mouth, you can't have just one! Her recipe does not call for the frosting or peanut butter cups, those are my additions and they take the perfect cookies over the edge into scrumptiously gourmet!

Here is what you need:

Cut 3 peanut butter cups (per batch) into fourths. Set aside. This recipe yields 2 dozen cookies. So if you are doing that many you will need to cut 6 pb cups.

Cream together peanut butter and butter until they are a uniform color.

Add sugars. Cream together.

Add egg and vanilla.

Sprinkle in baking soda and salt, then mix. I like to do this rather than mix the salt and soda with my flour. One less dish to dirty and it gets mixed in just fine this way.

Add your flour.

I like to use a scoop to form my cookies. That way they are all uniform in size and bake evenly.

Scoop 12 cookie dough shapes onto your cookie sheet. I like to use my silpat.

Press a 1/4 pb cup into each cookie dough shape.

Pinch dough up and around the top of the pb cup so that the cup is hidden under the dough.

Bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes. I bake my for exactly 12 minutes and they come out perfectly!

While these are in the oven, you can whip up your chocolate frosting.

Here they are right out of the oven.

Broken in half to reveal the chocolaty surprise in the middle. They are divine, just like this. You could totally stop right here and just eat them. Adding the frosting is so delicious though. And if you are bringing them to a party, they are show stoppers. Who could pass by this?

People who are allergic to peanut butter. That's who. Everyone else will be taking one and they will disappear right before your eyes. That is assuming they even make it to the party and you and your kids don't eat them all first!

So for the final step, frost the cookies. Then for fun, sprinkle some crushed pb cups on top for a garnish. They make them look extra tempting and taste delicious too. Here's the recipe. And at the very bottom, I have included a link to download a cute 4x6 recipe card. Enjoy!

Frosted Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Cookie Dough Recipe:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup flour
6 - 8 regular sized peanut butter cups cut into fourths

1. Cut peanut butter cups into fourths. Set aside.
2. Cream together peanut butter and butter.

3. Add sugars

4. Add egg and vanilla

5. Sprinkle in baking soda and salt

6. Add flour

7. Scoop 12 equally sized balls. Press a fourth of a peanut butter cup into each ball. Pinch dough up and over each cup so that it is covered.
8. Bake @ 350 10-12 minutes
9. Cool. Frost.
10. Sprinkle broken up pb cup candy pieces on top for garnish.
yields 2 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Frosting Recipe:

1/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 or 4 tablespoons milk

1. Combine cocoa and sugar.

2. Add butter, vanilla.

3. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Here is the recipe card. Just click on the caption below the photo. Remember, this is for personal use only. Thanks!