Peanut Butter Heart Cookie Recipe

Reese’s cups have always held a special place in my heart. It’s one of those things that when I eat them, they teleport me through many happy memories. One of which involved my grandmother giving me my first one when I was a child. Since then, they have always made me think of her. This is where my love for peanut butter and chocolate are able to come together, as I’ve created a peanut butter press cookie with a Reese’s cup melted in the center. Who doesn’t love these two ingredients together? And as she would say, “bless your heart.” 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter 
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening  
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided 
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 12-ounce package Reese's Peanut Butter Hearts 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
  2. In a mixing bowl; cream together butter, shortening, peanut butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  
  3. Add in eggs, mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. 
  4. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. 
  5. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix gently to combine. Don’t over-mix. The dough will be very soft. 
  6. Pour remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar into a small bowl. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
  7. Scoop dough into balls and then roll in sugar. 
  8. Bake for 7-10 minutes, just until set. They will be pale, and look just barely set.  Don’t over-bake them or they will be hard once cooled. 
  9. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, and then transfer to cooling rack.  
  10. Press an unwrapped Reese’s heart to the center of each warm cookie. Allow cookies to cool completely. 
  11. Store leftover cookies in a container at room temperature, or they freeze very well.