these chocolate peanut butter cup cookies follow one of my most popular recipes on the blog. my Tahini chocolate chip Levain Bakery inspired cookies have been at the top of the the blog's most made recipes for a LONG time. during that time, I received lots of requests for a chocolate version. so that is exactly what I did! all it took was a shopping trip to trader joes, a chance meeting between me and a container of mini pb cups and the rest is cookie history! read on to find out why I love these chocolate and peanut butter filled cookies!

in a few words, these giant chocolate cookies are

toasty on the outside
cake like, soft on the inside
full of chocolate flavor
sweet
salty
full of pools melty peanut butter and chocolate
bakery style - aka, BIG

short and sweet ingredient list

you'll need just a few delicious things to make these chocolate peanut butter cup cookies!

cake flour
all purpose flour
espresso powder
cornstarch
salt
baking soda
European style butter
light brown sugar
granulated sugar
eggs
unsweetened cocoa powder
mini peanut butter cups
semi sweet chocolate chips, wafers or discs

check your kitchen for these baking tools!

stand mixer with paddle attachment
- or electric hand mixer with beaters
food scale
- this is preferred to measure the cookies
- you can also use about a 1/2 cup of dough
oven thermometer
- a cheap and easy way to double check the oven temperature!
- I use one all the time
aluminum baking sheet
parchment paper
cooling rack

make these bakery style cookies...mini!

there are a couple of ways to make these chocolate peanut butter cup cookies smaller or smaller batch

make these mini, aka regular sized cookies:
- the easiest way to make these regular 3 oz. sized cookies is:
- prepare the recipe as written
- use a 2-3 tbsp (medium or large cookie scoop) to scoop the dough
- space 2" on baking sheet
- bake for 7-9 minutes at 410F (210C)
- check out my mini egg cookies for more information
  - a full recipe will make about 15-16 (3oz.) mini cookies
make this recipe as bakery style and "small batch":
- read over the recipe and decide if you want:
  - to do the math for a half batch OR
  - prepare the recipe to bake half and freeze half (my preferred way!)
  - either way, prepare the dough as written (full or half)
    - bake 4 (6oz) cookies at 410F (210C)
make these mini and "small batch":
- prepare the recipe as written (half or full batch)
- for a full batch, divide the dough in half after chilling in the fridge for 30 minutes
- wrap half the batch in parchment paper, plastic wrap and foil (for longer storage) and place in the freezer
- take the other half and scoop out 2-3oz. sized cookies
- bake 2" apart at 410F (210C) for 7-9 minutes
  - this makes about 8 (3oz.) cookies

tips and tricks for the best bakery style chocolate peanut butter cup cookies

best ingredient substitutions for this recipe:

cake flour
- see the recipe notes to make a DIY version
all purpose flour
- use a 1:1 gluten free flour you have previously baked with
- I like bobs red mill
cornstarch
- this allows the cookie to remain chewy and tender
- it helps with thickening the cookie without drying it out
European butter
- unless this craving strikes in the middle of the night, try to use this
- you can use regular unsalted butter, just make sure its fresh!
- see recipe notes for my favorite brands
unsweetened cocoa powder
- this is widely available and what most people have in their pantry
- this works best with baking soda
espresso powder
- this is purely for flavor purposes
- omit if you don't have or don't want to use
brown sugar and granulated sugar
- if possible, use both if not, use light brown sugar
- this gives the cookies a more chewiness than granulated sugar
mini pb cups and chocolate chips
- use regular pb cups and chop in pieces
- or use regular nut free butter cups and cut in pieces
- use a mix of pb and semi sweet chips

best tips and tricks for this recipe

read through the directions before starting the recipe
measure out all the ingredients before starting
double check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer
cold ingredients: this is how LB does it. cube the butter into small pieces to help with creaming process
chill: this helps rest the glutens, which helps prevent spread and gives the cookie a chewier texture
food scale: these cookies weigh 6oz. each. grab that scale to get it exact. otherwise, fill a 1/2 c measuring cup. this makes 7-8 cookies
shape: use your hand or a spoon. think rustic. (see recipe pics)
fold the chocolate chips and mini pb cups at the same time and by hand
baking temperature: baking them in a super hot oven for a short amount of time sets the exterior. meanwhile, the interior stays soft and gooey. the perfect cookie in my opinion.
“baking” out of the oven: allow the cookies to finish “baking” on the hot baking sheet for 15 minutes.
more cooling: if you can wait, let them set for a full hour

more cookies for your cookie jar!

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Make sure to tag me on instagram @olivesnthyme. For more delicious dessert ideas follow me on pinterest

chocolate peanut butter cup cookies

Megan

these GIANT 6oz. per cookie chocolate peanut butter cup cookies have a toasty outside, with a soft inside. they're packed with lots of melty chocolate chips and mini peanut butter cups!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Chill Time 30

Total Time 1 5

Course Celebrations, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6 oz. cookies

Equipment

stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
aluminum cookie sheet
food scale or 1/3 c measuring cup
parchment paper
cooling rack

Ingredients

1 1/4 c (150g) cake flour see notes for DIY sub
1 1/4 c (150g) all purpose flour
2 tsp espresso powder, optional
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 c (226g) unsalted European style butter, cold and cubed into small even pieces sub with regular unsalted butter
1 c (200g) light brown sugar
1/3 c (65g) granulated sugar
2 (114g) large eggs, room temperature
1/2 c (48g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 - 2 c assorted mini pb cups and chocolate chips see notes

Instructions

Sift together the flours, cornstartch, baking soda and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
On low speed, increasing to medium speed, cream together the cold brown butter until mostly smooth. This may take a couple of minutes. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add brown and granulated sugars and cream together on medium hight until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add eggs and cocoa powder, one at a time, beating about 20 seconds before adding the next. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Beat all wet ingreidents on low for 30-60 seconds or until smooth and well combined.
By hand or on the lowest setting of your mixer ( i prefer by hand), sitr in the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time. Leaving some flour streaks before adding the next 1/3. When the last 1/3 dry has been added to the wet, fold the mini pb cups and chocolate chips. Fold unitl the dough is combined with no visible streaks of flour.
Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes (or even overnight, covered with plastic wrap).
30 minitues before you plan to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 410F (210C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Grab a food scale or a measuring cup. These cookies need to be measured out to 6oz. each. This is what makes the cookie so BIG!
Measure out (4) 6oz. cookies to start. The rest of the dough can go back in the fridge while the other cookies bake.
Place each 6oz. cookie at least 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Place into a fully preheated oven. Bake for 9-12 minutes.
The edges should be set, the top of the cookie should be "toasted", but not burned. The middle will be slighly underbaked. The cookie will continue to "bake" on the baking sheet once removed from the oven.
Remove cookies and leave on the hot baking sheet set on top of a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Once the cookies are ready, remove from the baking sheet and cool completely on a cooling rack.
{If desired, more mini pb cups or chocolate chips can gently be pressed into the top of the HOT cookies. Do this within the first 5 minutes of pulling the cookies from the oven.}
While the cookies are cooling on the baking sheet (right from the oven), pull out the cookies chilling in the fridge. Meaning, pull the second batch from the fridge about 10 minutes before you plan to bake them.
Enjoy with someone becuase these cookies are meant to be shared!!

Notes

diy cake flour: for 1 1/4 c (150g) cake flour, remove 2 tbsp + 2 tsp all purpose flour from the 1 c all purpose flour. replace the 2 tbsp + 2 tsp with an equal amount of corn starch. sift the new mixture together 3-4 times to fully blend together.

European butter: is typically churned longer than American butter, European butter has between 82 and 85 percent butterfat. It has a richer taste, softer texture, and is brighter yellow in color than its American counterpart.

This butter can be found at all major grocery stores. Some of my favorite brands are: Kerrygold, Plugra, Danish Creamery, and Central Market (Texas)

mini pb cups and chocolate chips: for these cookies, I used mini pb cups from trader joes. you can also chop regular PB cups into quarters for a similar effect. use you're preferred chocolate chips for these cookies! I used semi sweet disks.

Keyword bakery style cookies, double chocolate cookies, peanut butter chocolate levain copy cat cookies, peanut butter cup cookies

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