Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Two ingredients. That is the entire shopping list for these classic peanut butter cup cookies, the kind of treat that has been showing up at school bake sales and church potlucks since the 70s when Reese’s first hit the candy aisle.

The technique is straight from the back of the cookie dough package. Quarter a tube of refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough, drop each piece into a mini muffin cup, and bake just long enough for the dough to puff up into a tender little vessel. The split-second after pulling them from the oven, you press a miniature peanut butter cup into each warm center, where it softens slightly and locks in place as everything cools.

Timing matters. Press the candy in too soon and the cookie is still raw, press too late and the cookies have cooled and split when you try to push the candy in. The thirty-second window right out of the oven is the sweet spot.

Let them cool fully in the pan before lifting out. The peanut butter cup needs time to firm back up, and warm cookies fall apart when handled.

Pro Tips

• Use mini muffin tins for the classic version, regular muffin tins make cookies too thick and bready
• Grease the tins lightly, peanut butter cookie dough is sticky enough to grab the metal
• Unwrap all the peanut butter cups before the cookies go in the oven, you have only seconds once they come out
• Refrigerate the cookies for 20 minutes to set the candy fully if you need to serve quickly
• Store in a single layer or with parchment between, the peanut butter cups can stick together at room temperature

Variations

• Use sugar cookie dough or chocolate chip dough for a sweeter base
• Swap the peanut butter cups for Rolos, Hershey’s Kisses, or mini chocolate truffles
• Press the candy in slightly off-center for a more rustic look
• Drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled cookies for an extra finishing touch