Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup all-purpose flour¹
- 2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Reese’s Pieces peanut butter candies
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- Add the butter to a stand up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for a full minute until light and fluffy.
- Meanwhile, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl, until combined. Set aside.
- Add both sugars to the mixer, and mix on medium speed until completely combined. Add the egg, followed by the peanut butter, and vanilla, mixing well after each addition.
- Turn the mixer down to low speed, and add the flour mixture in two or three batches, mixing until just combined. Stir in the Reese’s Pieces².
- Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.³
Bake the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and let come up to temperature for a few minutes. Use a cookie scoop to evenly scoop out 2 Tbsp portions of dough. Gently roll/shape the dough into balls, and place on prepared cookie sheets, about two inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and cooked through. Our oven bakes unevenly, so I bake each sheet one at a time, and rotate the pan halfway through. The cookies may appear slightly uncooked in the middle, but will settle as they cool.
- Remove from the oven, and let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a baking sheet to cool completely. Will keep for up to a week in an air-tight container.
Notes
¹ I’ve baked these chocolate peanut butter cookies using Cup for Cup gluten free flour blend with great success. My taste testers couldn’t tell the difference!
² I reserved a small handful of Reese’s to place on top of the cookies, which I added about 3 minutes before the cookies were ready to come out of the oven. Totally optional, but a bit more decorative.
³ It’s important to let the dough fully chill and firm up before baking, at least 2 hours. This allows the cookies to hold their shape (and let the flavors build together). Any less, and the cookies will spread way to much.