Sixteen small spoonfuls of peanut butter are frozen firm before anything else happens. Each one becomes the soft centre of a cookie.
The dough carries peanut butter three more ways: chopped peanut butter cups, milk chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips. Every portion is flattened, wrapped around a frozen dollop and chilled again before baking.
How to Make It
Centres frozen
Spoon 16 small dollops of the 1/3 cup peanut butter onto parchment and freeze for 20 minutes.
Dough creamed
Beat the butter, 1/2 cup peanut butter and both sugars until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Mix-ins folded
Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt, then fold in the chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips.
Filled and chilled
Divide the dough into 16 portions. Flatten each portion, place a frozen peanut-butter dollop in the center, and seal the dough around it. Chill 20 minutes.
Baked
Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers remain soft. Cool 10 minutes on the pan.
Ingredient Notes
- Peanut butter cups
- Three-quarters of a cup, chopped so pieces show at the surface.
- Peanut butter for the centres
- A third of a cup, frozen in sixteen small dollops.
- Milk chocolate chunks
- Half a cup, folded in with the chips.
Success Tips
- Work quickly once the frozen dollops come out; they soften fast in warm hands.
- Pinch the dough seam firmly and roll the ball smooth before chilling.
- Press a few extra chopped pieces onto the tops before baking so they stay visible.
Why This Recipe Works
- Freezing the centres keeps them soft while the dough bakes around them.
- Sealing the dough completely stops the filling leaking out.
- A second chill firms the shaped cookies so they stay thick.
- Three peanut butter elements give the cookie its name without extra sweetness.
Serving Ideas
Break one open while still warm so the soft centre shows, and serve the rest alongside.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Store in an airtight container at room temperature; the centres firm as they cool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the soft centre?
A frozen dollop of peanut butter sealed inside each portion of dough.
What are the three peanut butter elements?
Chopped peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips and peanut butter in both the dough and the centre.
