Peanut Butter Temptations

These peanut butter cookie cups are a holiday baking staple for good reason. A soft, buttery peanut butter cookie baked in a mini muffin tin gets a whole miniature peanut butter cup pressed into its warm center the second it leaves the oven. The candy sinks in and softens into a fudgy chocolate-peanut butter filling.

The dough itself is rich with both creamy peanut butter and butter, plus brown and white sugar for a deep, caramelized sweetness. Rolling it into 1-inch balls and dropping them into lined muffin cups is the only shaping you need. No flattening, no fork marks.

Timing the candy press is everything. Push the peanut butter cup in while the cookie is still hot and puffy. Wait too long and the cookie firms up, cracking instead of cradling the candy.

Kitchen Tips

• Unwrap all the peanut butter cups before baking. You need to work fast once the pan comes out, and fumbling with wrappers costs you precious seconds.
• Use paper liners in the muffin cups. Without them, the melted chocolate bonds to the pan and removal becomes a frustrating mess.
• Cool completely in the pan. Lifting them out warm will pull the soft candy right out of the cookie.

Variations

• Use dark chocolate peanut butter cups for a more intense chocolate hit.
• Press a Rolo or caramel-filled chocolate into the center instead for a peanut butter-caramel cookie cup.
• Roll the dough balls in coarse sugar before baking for a sparkly, crunchy exterior.