Description
Ingredients
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (107 g) brown sugar
⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (201 g) creamy peanut butter, not natural
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Granulated sugar, for rolling
24 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped
½ cup (85 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ tsp neutral oil, optional, for thinning melted chocolate
Candy eyeballs
Instructions
1. Freeze the unwrapped mini peanut butter cups while preparing the dough. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and smooth.
3. Mix in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
4. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix only until combined.
5. Shape dough into tablespoon-sized balls, roll in granulated sugar, and place 2 to 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until edges begin cracking and lightly brown.
7. Immediately press a frozen mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie.
8. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
9. Melt chocolate chips and oil, if using, in short intervals, stirring often until smooth.
10. Transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag or plastic bag and pipe 4 legs on each side of every peanut butter cup.
11. Use a small amount of melted chocolate to attach candy eyes.
12. Let chocolate harden before serving or storing.
Notes
Use creamy peanut butter with stabilizers. Natural peanut butter is not recommended.
Freezing the peanut butter cups helps them keep their shape when pressed into warm cookies.
Keep cookie portions uniform for even baking.
Cookies are done when set around the edges with slight cracking.
Slightly underbaked centers will finish cooking as they cool.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before moving to prevent the peanut butter cups from sinking.
Attach candy eyes while the chocolate is still soft.
If melted chocolate is too thick for piping, mix in a small amount of neutral oil.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Halloween Recipes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 163
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 142 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg