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When I was in college, a sweet older woman from my church brought me a container of these during final exam week. I may have eaten them all in one day. Ever since, these have been a staple of my Christmas baking. They work for any time of year, but I find that I have so little self-control when I make them that I can’t make them too often! I usually use these with Reese’s brand peanut butter cups, but any kind will work. These also freeze really well if you want to save a few for 2022.
Easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
First, preheat the oven to 375.
Before you start mixing together the ingredients, unwrap about 40 of the peanut butter cups. You may need a few more, but time is precious when these come out of the oven. My muffin tin only holds 24, so do at least that many! I keep them in the fridge (or even the freezer) while I’m making the cookies so that they don’t totally melt when I stick them in the warm dough.
Grease the muffin tin with cooking spray. I place mine on a baking sheet because its silicone and needs a solid foundation.
Cream the butter and sugars together with a mixer.
Mix in the egg and vanilla.
Add in the peanut butter and milk.
Add the dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking powder.
Mix until combined.
Spoon about 1/2 tbsp. of dough into each muffin cup. This doesn’t look like much, but the batter will rise and you need room to place the peanut butter cup in the middle!
Bake for 9 minutes or until the top starts to brown.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently place a peanut butter up into each muffin cup.
Let cool completely on the counter or cooling rack before trying to remove from the pan.
These are absolutely delicious if you eat them almost right away when the peanut butter cup is all melty, but if you want to put them in the freezer or take them to a party, make sure you let them cool completely!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 40-50 miniature peanut butter cups
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 and grease a mini muffin tin.
- Unwrap about 40 miniature peanut butter cups and store them in the fridge until the cookies are done.
- Cream the butter and sugars together with a mixer.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla.
- Add in the peanut butter and milk.
- Add the dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Mix until combined.
- Spoon about 1/2 tbsp. of dough into each muffin cup.
- Bake for 9 minutes or until the top starts to brown.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently place a peanut butter up into each muffin cup.
- Let cool completely before trying to remove from the pan.
