Serving Up {Cookies}: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Bites

Prior to our move to Oregon we lived in Las Vegas for nine years.  For eight of those years I participated in a Cookie Exchange with a group of ladies from my church.  It was something that I totally looked forward to every year - not because of the cookies (although that was a bonus) but because we treated it as a ladies night out and I could not ask for better associations.

Our cookie exchange consisted of twelve women.  Each participant baked 12 dozen (yes, twelve) and packaged them in 12 containers of one dozen each.  We would get together at the hostess' home (which we switched each year) and have a delicious dinner.  When the evening ended we would then each present the cookies we baked and give each participant one container.  We would then return home with 12 dozen cookies of all variety.  I don't know what others did with their cookies, but I would always promptly go home, eat one of each kind and then freeze the remainder.  Throughout the month of December, whenever someone came over I would pull out of the freezer a variety of cookies to serve.  It worked great!

The cookies that I baked each year are some of my favorite so I thought that I would share the recipes for my cookie exchange cookies over the next couple of weeks.  Of the eight years, I attended seven exchanges, yet can only remember the cookies I baked for six of the years.  Yes, it is really bugging me that I can't remember!  You would think after baking 12 dozen it would be etched in my memory.  Super annoying, but I have no choice but to move on :)

The very first year of the cookie exchange I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with my second child and thought I would go for a less labor intensive cookie.  I baked Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Bites, which use a refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter cups.  Could not get any less labor intensive than that.  I distinctly remember sitting on a bar stool while I unwrapped 144 peanut butter cups (plus a few more to reward my efforts :)

The chocolate chip cookie dough is placed in mini muffin tins and baked until done. 

(I prefer slightly under done for this recipe)

When the muffin tins come out of the oven, immediately press an unwrapped peanut butter cup into the center.

(I keep my peanut butter cups in the fridge after unwrapping them so that they aren't soft for this step)

The peanut putter cup will melt but as the cookie cools, so will the chocolate.

Delicious & Easy!

CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER CUP BITES     Pin It

(printable version)

1 package of refrigerated Tollhouse Cookie dough

1 package miniature peanut butter cups

Unwrap the peanut butter cups and set aside (preferably in the refrigerator).

Use a cookie scoop and place cookie dough into greased miniature muffin tins.

Bake at time and temperature as directed on cookie dough package.

Remove cookies from oven and place a miniature peanut butter cup in the center of each cookie and press into the center.

Allow to cool slightly before removing from muffin tin.  Place on cooling rack to cool completely.