Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These are the best cookies I’ve ever made.

I know I say that a lot. I make a lot of cookies.

But these? Really are the best. Want proof?

My husband ate one.

You know about my husband, right? How he’s Mr. I don’t want a cookie thank you.

He’s Mr. That’s Too Sweet.

Mr. No Thanks I’ll Eat This WW Brownie.

Mr. I Don’t Need Dessert.

And he ate one of these cookies. He couldn’t resist.

Now, if I was mean, or secretly evil, I’d be saying Bwahahahahahaha and clapping my hands gleefully.

I’m secretly evil.

The cookie he couldn’t resist? A chocolate peanut butter cup cookie.

You won’t be able to resist either.

These cookies are chocolate pudding cookies based off of my Triple Chocolate Pudding Cookies. I needed to make those again (because I neeeeeeded them) and I had Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in the pantry. Match made in heaven. ALL of my pudding cookie recipes are the best!

You can use any instant chocolate pudding in these cookies: chocolate, chocolate fudge, or Hershey’s Special Dark. I don’t recommend sugar-free (I’ve never used that in these cookies, so I can’t guarantee success).

For an extra chocolate flavor, I add two tablespoons of cocoa to the batter. I prefer to use the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa for an extra punch of chocolate flavor, but you can use regular unsweetened if you prefer.

You add the Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups whole and the stand mixer breaks them up into the cookies. Doing it that way almost adds ribbons of amazing peanut butter throughout the cookie. (If you’re using a hand mixer, you might want to chop them in quarters first.) I also like to chop a few peanut butter cups and press them on the top of the cookies before baking. It makes them prettier.

As usual, this dough needs chilling, but it’s worth it. It makes them puffy and soft, and the pudding keeps them soft for days. They were on my counter for 5 days and they were still just as soft as day 1.

Best. Cookies. Ever.

And since I know my husband can’t resist…I might have to make them again. And again.

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Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

24 cookies

The PERFECT double chocolate cookie filled with Reese’s peanut butter cups! Perfectly soft every time!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons special dark (or regular) cocoa powder
• 1 box (3.4-3.9 ounces) instant chocolate, chocolate fudge, or special dark pudding mix (not sugar-free)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brewed coffee or water
• 25 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped

Directions:

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with a silpat baking mat or parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and both sugars in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in vanilla and egg. Add cocoa powder and pudding mix (the powder) and mix until smooth.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients and coffee or water to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. If you are using a stand mixer, add 20 of the mini peanut butter cups and mix until they are broken chunks are throughout the batter. (No need to chop them, the mixer does the work for you.) If you’re using a hand mixer, I suggest quartering the peanut butter cups then adding to the batter and mixing until the chunks are more broken up and spread throughout.
5. Coarsely chop remaining peanut butter cups.
6. Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Press a few pieces of the chopped peanut butter cups on the top of each cookie ball. (This is not mandatory, it just makes them look prettier.) Cover with plastic wrap and chill the cookies sheets for at least 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Press each cookie dough ball down slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until they just start to lose their glossy sheen. I like mine slightly underdone, so I cooked them for about 11-12 minutes. You might want them to cook a little more. I also like to rotate my cookie sheets in my oven halfway through for even baking.
8. Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

All images and text ©Dorothy Kern for © Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

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