Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

It has been a while since I posted a dessert recipe.  I made these cookies this weekend and took them to a barbecue this evening.  Stuffing a cookie with a piece of candy is a sure way to make it a little more special.

Peanut butter cups were created by a former Hersey's employee named Harry Bernett Reese who set up his own candy shop.  His company later merged with Hersey's after his death.  

Peanut butter cups aren't my favorite candy, but I never say no to one when their offered.  They are obviously an excellent addition to a peanut butter cookie.  Why not stuff a little more peanut butter into a peanut butter cookie?  To be honest, the peanut butter cup kind of melted in the cookies, and I couldn't tell it apart from the chocolate chips.

The recipe came from Allrecipes.  I added some chocolate chips and mini peanut butter cups.  The ingredients are 20 mini peanut butter cups, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.

I added the butter and sugars into a big bowl.

Then I added the peanut butter.  I thought that Americans were the only country where people ate peanut butter, but according to wikipedia, it's also popular in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Philippines, and Indonesia.  Peanut butter was first patented by a Canadian in 1884.  I though George Washington Carver invented peanut butter, but he did not. 

I whisked these ingredients very well and then added an egg.  I beat the egg into the mixture.

In another bowl, I added the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

I whisked the dry ingredients together and then poured them into the buttery sugar goo.

I stirred everything together until there were no clumps.  

I added some chocolate chips and stirred.  

I got a little glob of dough and flattened it a bit.  In the center, I placed a mini peanut butter cup.

I pushed the dough around the peanut butter cup until it was completely covered.  I let the unbaked cookies sit in the fridge overnight.  The recipe said to let the dough cool in the fridge for at least an hour.

I baked the cookies at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.   

I let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the pan before removing them to a rack to cool completely.

These were very soft and delicious cookies.  It's a great recipe: very toothsome.

I ate this cookie right out of the oven, and the chocolate was still gooey.  

I prefer eating my peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, but I'm not convinced the peanut butter cups added much.  There is so much peanut butter flavor in the cookie, and the little cups kind of got lost.  I think they would be better in a regular chocolate chip cookie.