I’ve been having this random love affair with peanut butter. I’ve never really cared too much for it, but I make a lot of peanut butter recipes because I know other people really like it. Well jeez, I think I am starting to convert myself! haha When I read about this particular peanut butter cookie recipe I knew that I had to make them immediately. They just sounded so wonderful.
Soft… Chewy… just perfect.
Sometimes I prefer a crisp, crumbly cookie like shortbread or the traditional peanut butter cookie, but honestly- I like my good’s chewy. Then I throw in some crunch and textural contrast from add-in’s like nuts, oreo’s, etc. These delicious peanut butter cookies received their added texture from Reeses Pieces candy. Obviously a perfect partner for anything peanut butter.
I’ve previously posted about another peanut butter cookie on here. That cookie was very different. That flavor was purely peanut butter and much less sweet. The texture was slightly soft and chewy, but no where near this batch. I honestly couldn’t give you a preference because they were both great.
I will admit to you though, this recipe was a HUGE pain in my butt! I found it off of foodgawker.com. And as usual, I read the comments to see what others had to say about it. A lot of people mentioned that the cookie came out very flat. Then others went into the honey measurement, which read 4 oz. The problem was though…. they would say 4 oz of honey by VOLUME (not weight) and then they would say 1/4 cup of honey. Well, 4 oz is 1/2 cup, not 1/4 cup. That’s a HUGE difference. So then I double checked the recipe, and it indeed said 4 oz…. so I figured that the whole “1/4 cup” thing must have just been a typo. I went exactly by the recipe. Yeah, these cookies came out flatter than pancakes. Even when I froze the dough. So I messaged the blogger that had written the post and she admitted that it was meant to be 1/4 cup, which is 2 oz (NOT 4 oz!). She has since changed it on her blog, but it left me a little frustration, as well as all the others that have made the cookies by what the recipe stated.
If you look at the recipe below you will notice that you first have to make a “peanut butter mixture”. So rather than just adding peanut butter where you would normally, you add the mixture. Kind of wierd… but that is how this particular cookie gets it’s texture.
So, anyways! I have given you all the correct measurements for the recipe so that you will not experience such a problem. Your cookies will come out gorgeous and as thick as a chocolate chip cookie! Even as flattened cookies they were very, verrrry yummy.
- Peanut Butter Mixture
- 8 oz peanut butter
- 2 oz (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
- 2 Tb honey
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cups (1½ sticks) butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup shortening, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup Reese’s Pieces
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the peanut butter mixture by thoroughly combining the peanut butter, butter, and honey in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Add one egg at a time, beating 1 minute after each. Add in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides again and add in the peanut butter mixture, mixing until well combined. Add in the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the Reeses Pieces.
- Scoop the dough out in tablespoonfuls onto a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake 11 minutes. They will still look soft and undone. Let them cool and set up on the cookie sheet about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to firm up.
