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Peanut Butter Cookie Cups on a wooden tray
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4.86 from 7 votes

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

Soft peanut butter cookie cups stuffed with chocolate peanut butter cups - these are always a crowd favorite. We keep the dough in the freezer to bake throughout the holidays.
Prep Time1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time7 minutes
Total Time1 hour 27 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: chocolate and peanut butter, Christmas, cookies
Servings: 48 cookie cups
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $5.00

Equipment

  • Stand or Handheld Mixer
  • Mini Muffin Tins
  • Cooling Rack

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 cup Butter, unsalted and softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar, plus more for rolling dough
  • 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (see note)
  • 48 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped

Instructions

  • Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
  • In the bowl of a standing mixer or with a handheld mixer (or by hand) beat the butter until soft and smooth, ~2 minutes. Add both sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add egg and mix on medium until smooth. Add vanilla and mix for 1 minute more.
  • Add peanut butter and mix until smooth.
  • Pour dry ingredients in the bowl and mix on low just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
  • Refrigerate the dough until it is firm enough to roll into balls, ~1 hour (see note).
  • If you haven't already, remove chocolate peanut butter cups from their wrappers and set aside.
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Fill a shallow bowl or dish with granulated sugar. Roll dough into balls 1 1/2 inch in diameter (they should be about 1 Tbsp of dough each).
  • Place dough balls into prepared mini muffin tin. Bake until dough has filled out the tin and is just barely golden on top, 6 to 8 minutes.
  • As soon as you remove the dough balls, press chocolate peanut butter cups into the dough. Let cool for a few minutes and then remove cookie cups from the baking tin. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Notes

I prefer creamy peanut butter for these. Note that this recipe does not work as well if using natural peanut butter.
When I'm in a rush, I often roll this dough into balls right away and skip the refrigeration step. The dough is very soft without the refrigeration, so I use a spoon to scoop out even sized portions of dough and drop them straight into the sugar. Once they are gently rolled in sugar, they are easier to pick up and roll into balls. They can be baked right away, but will be done on the lower end of the cook time, likely right at 6 minutes.
To freeze, form the dough into balls and roll them in sugar. Place the dough balls on a sheet pan and freeze until firm. Transfer to a plastic zip-top bag and freeze for up to three months. They can be baked straight out of the freezer but will need an extra minute or two added to the bake time.
Print and attach the label below so cooking instructions are ready when you are!
peanut butter cookie cups freezer label

Nutrition

Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 68IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg