Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I love peanut butter.

When I'm hungry during the day, I often open one of the jars of peanut butter in my kitchen and eat a spoonful (or two). Surprisingly, I've only posted one recipe involving peanut butter in the 4 years I've had my blog.

It's probably because I chow down on anything with peanut butter before I can photograph it.

I'm the type of person who buys whatever brand of stuff is the cheapest at the store. I'm no snob when it comes to the generic labels! Luckily, my absolute favorite brand of peanut butter (and the only kind I'll buy) is the Kroger brand, which is the store brand where I shop. Is there anything you'll only buy in a specific brand?

This recipe is a variation on the famous New York Times Cookie recipe. I've given the weights as well as the cup measurements. I used my kitchen scale to weigh all the ingredients.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Yields: 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on the size.

1 3/4 cups (8 1/2 oz) cake flour*
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 oz) all purpose flour*
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 1/4 cup (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cup (10 oz) brown sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp (8 oz) sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini peanut butter cups, chopped***
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Sea salt for sprinkling

1. Mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat. Slowly add the dry ingredients until it is just incorporated.

3. Fold in the peanut butter cups and chips. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

 4. Scoop 2 oz balls (these are big cookies-- the dough should be at least 2" in diameter) onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silpat. I only baked 6 cookies at a time-- they're that big! Sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 350 for 13-18 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the middles no longer look raw.

* You can use whatever ratio of the two flours you have-- I was about 1/2 cup short on the cake flour, so I used AP flour for that 1/2 cup. Just make sure you have 17 oz flour altogether.

*** I got mini peanut butter cups at Winco in the bulk section. They're adorable and perfect for baking! They work great in cookies, brownies, and ice cream.

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Leftover brownies. Sounds like an impossible concept, right? How on earth could anyone ever have leftover brownies?

Before you think I'm too crazy, I didn't actually have leftover brownies. I made a 9 x 13 pan of brownies for me and Austin last week, and after 24 hours, there were 2 brownies left. 

Technically, I guess that means we had leftover brownies. But with only 2 people eating 80% of a 9 x 13 pan of brownies in less than a day, I'm not sure if I'd count that as "leftovers."

When I saw a recipe for brownie chunk chocolate chip cookies on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it out with our two "leftover" brownies. 

Man, am I glad I did!! These are INSANE. They're the perfect combination of brownies and cookies. 

Since I'm pretty sure leftover brownies are a myth, you might have to actually make the brownies to go with the cookies. But it's worth it. Totally worth it. Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod.

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yields: 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup brownie chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silpat.

2. Combine flour, baking soda & powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add the chocolate chips and brownie chunks and stir until combined.

4. Scoop using a spoon or cookie scoop onto the baking sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

5. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and oatmeal cookies are definitely my favorite kinds of cookies. If I had to pick one, I'd probably say oatmeal.

These cookies are a simply a mash up of my three favorite kinds of cookies. They really are about 1/3 of each type. In each bite, you get a taste of each cookie.

These cookies are chewy and delicious. If you like crispy cookies, these probably aren't for you. They do have that delightful slight crunch on the bottom, but the inside is so chewy thanks to the brown sugar and peanut butter.

To make these cookies fit your dietary needs, you can make some simple alterations. To make them vegan, use margarine, vegan chocolate chips, and egg substitute. To make them gluten free, use gluten free flour and make sure there isn't hidden gluten in your other ingredients.

I bake all of my cookies on a Silpat, which is a silicone baking sheet that fits into your cookie sheet. I never bake anything directly on my cookie sheets. Silicone baking sheets prevent sticking, and the don't allow the bottom of things to brown too much. It's great! If I forget to take my cookies off the sheet, they don't stick and break like they would on a regular cookie sheet. Here's a link to a silicone baking sheet.



Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Yields: 2 dozen medium cookies or 3 dozen small cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup oats (I used old fashioned)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with silpat or parchment.

2. Cream together butter and sugars for about 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla.

3. Combine flour, oats, and baking soda. Slowly mix into the wet ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and mix.

4. Scoop onto the cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes.

Here are my traditional chocolate chip cookies:

(click photo for recipe)

What's your favorite kind of cookie?