Description
These irresistibly chewy peanut butter cup cookies combine the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and rich flavors with a soft, chewy texture. Featuring mini peanut butter cups embedded in each cookie, they’re baked in mini muffin pans for an easy, bite-sized treat that’s perfect for sharing or snacking.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute with gluten-free flour)
- 0.5 teaspoons baking soda
- 0.25 teaspoons salt
Wet Ingredients
- 0.5 cups unsalted butter (softened, can substitute with coconut oil)
- 0.5 cups granulated sugar
- 0.5 cups brown sugar
- 1 large egg (can substitute with a flax egg for vegan option)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk (non-dairy milk works as well)
Mix-ins
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups (can substitute with chopped chocolate or other candies)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a mini muffin pan with liners or grease it well to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to ensure they are evenly distributed. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, use a mixer or whisk to cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which ensures a tender cookie texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and milk until the batter is smooth and homogenous, ensuring proper binding and moisture.
- Combine Dry and Wet Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Fill Muffin Pan: Using a tablespoon, scoop cookie dough into each mini muffin cup, then slightly flatten the top of each to help them spread evenly during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges turn golden while the centers remain soft for optimal chewiness.
- Add Peanut Butter Cups: Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, press one mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie to slightly melt into the warm dough and adhere well.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- For a vegan version, substitute the egg with a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water, set to gel).
- You can replace all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour to make these cookies gluten-free.
- Non-dairy milk such as almond or oat milk works perfectly in place of regular milk.
- Using softened butter or a solid fat like coconut oil ensures the ideal creamy texture during creaming.
- Press the peanut butter cups into the cookies immediately after baking for best melty integration.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
