What a wonderful surprise when you bite into these cookies! A cookie and candy combined into one. These cookies start with the Classic Peanut Butter Cookie dough.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients:

Parchment paper or small amount of vegetable shortening for preparing baking sheets

Dough:

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup creamy or chunky peanut butter

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Tip: Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Filling:

About 36 miniature peanut butter cups, with paper wrapping removed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare 2 large baking sheets; lightly grease with shortening, or line with parchment paper, or line with a non-stick baking mat.
   
   Dough:
2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar; beat together until mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add egg; beat until thoroughly mixed. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir until mixed.
   
   
3. Shape dough into small balls, about 1” in diameter.  Tip: An ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized cookies.
   
   Bake:  
4. Place balls, 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 12 minutes or just until cookies are set and very lightly browned.
   
   Note: unlike Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, these cookies are not flattened with a crisscross design before baking.
   
   Filling:
5. Remove baking sheets from oven. While cookies are still hot and on the baking sheet, press a miniature peanut butter cup into the middle of each cookie.
   
   
6. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.
   
   Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
   
   TheBakingPan.com
   __________________________________________________