Ultimate Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a confession to make.  I'm a hoarder.  No, not one of those crazy hoarders that you see on the show actual TV show Hoarders (no offence to anyone reading this who is!).  I'm a hoarder of baking stuff.  Mainly things like chocolate chips, M&M's, Jello, Oreos, marshmallows, etc. Things that I see on my travels that I can't get in the UK, so when I see them I kind of go into this panic buying mode as if I will never ever see them again.  So then I buy them.  And then they sit there.  On my baking shelf waiting to be used.  Sometimes for months and months.  

During a recent trip to the US a few weeks ago I found some super cute little mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - prefect for baking.  I had to have them!  Chocolate, peanut butter AND mini!  What's not to love?  

When I got back home from my trip, I started unpacking my new purchases. I lined them up alongside the stuff I already had and started thinking about potential recipes.  I noticed a theme - mini Reese's peanut butter cups, mini Reese's pieces, peanut butter and chocolate chips, and a GIANT jar of peanut butter.  Cue light bulb moment!  I had been wanting to make some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for ages, but had never got around to it - until now.

I call these the Ultimate Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookie.  They're amazing.  I love them.  And I think you'll love them too!  

UK residents!!! I realise that this recipe's main ingredients are sourced from the US, but you can also get them here now in the UK at your local supermarket.  They won't be the mini versions of the peanut butter cups and pieces, but YOU CAN BUY the regular and small sized versions of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and the regular sized Reese's Pieces at Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda.  It's fine to use regular sized peanut butter cups, just cut them into smaller chunks (approx 9 pieces).  If you'd prefer to use the mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that I used you can buy them here and you can also buy Reese's peanut butter chips similar to the ones I used here.

Made With Pink's Ultimate Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 20 large cookies


Ingredients:  

2 1/2 Cups (310g) Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

3/4 Cup (210g) Smooth Peanut Butter (not natural)
1/2 Cup (115g) Butter, softened
1 1/4 Cups (250g) Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup (55g) Castor Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Milk
2 Tbsp Corn Syrup or Golden Syrup
2 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Peanut Butter and/or Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1/2 Cup Mini Reese's Pieces


Instructions:  


1.  Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).  In a small bow combine the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. 


2.  In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and white sugar together.  Cream together with an electric mixer until smooth.  Beat in the eggs one by one.  Add in the milk, syrup and vanilla.  Stir the flour mixture from step 1 into the peanut butter mixture.  Fold in the peanut butter and chocolate chips, Reese's Pieces and peanut butter cups.  Drop the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet by 1/4 cup fulls and flatten slightly.  

3.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are just slightly golden.  Leave the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to firm up before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.