There is a time and a place for high-effort baking. When there are particular guests to impress or a recipe that promises a gorgeous result, or even when I occasionally want to brush up on my homemade croissant-making skills (partly because they’re delicious and partly so I can brag to my partner), I’m happy to spend hours toiling in the kitchen. But sometimes, I need something that’s only one step up from Pillsbury ready-to-bake cookies—which have a special place in my heart (and are currently in my refrigerator).
When I have a cookie craving that demands semi-homemade deliciousness immediately or need a plate of goodies to share on late notice (holiday cookie party, anyone?), peanut butter cup cookies are my go-to (not to be confused with peanut butter blossoms).
At its core, peanut butter cup cookies feature a cookie baked in a mini muffin tin that’s then finished with a mini peanut butter cup pressed into the top. While the recipe above is straightforward, my mom introduced me to a way to simplify this cookie even more.
Instead of making cookie dough from scratch, we use ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookie dough. I particularly like using the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar for this task. The bar comes pre-scored, marking 24 individual pieces, meaning I don’t have to worry about evenly portioning dough in the mini muffin tin. That, plus a bag of unwrapped mini peanut butter cups, means I don’t need to get a single dish dirty besides the muffin tin.
How to Make Easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
To make the cookie cups, divide store-bought cookie dough into 24 pieces, about 1 tablespoon each. (If you’re using a pre-scored cookie dough bar, just break the bar into pieces along the scored lines.) Press the dough gently into the individual mini muffin tin cups.
Bake the cookie cups as directed on the cookie dough packaging. If the cookie cups appear golden brown before the time range on the packaging indicates, take them out early. Immediately after taking the baked cookie cups out of the oven, press a mini peanut butter cup into each cookie cup.
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Then, let the cookies cool for five to 10 minutes and remove from the pan. That’s it. If you want to get a little wild, press a mini pretzel on top of the mini peanut butter cup for a salty-sweet take on the treat.
If you want to go homemade (but still simple) with this recipe, it’s a winner, according to Allrecipes readers. One reviewer said, “I found this recipe so long ago, and have been making these for YEARS!! Everyone loves them!” They also went on to say that they’ve substituted a variety of mini chocolates for the peanut butter cups.