Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies

This was by far my favorite goody that I baked during my recent all-day baking extravaganza with friends, but unfortunately I did not post about that batch because they were very unattractive!  However, they tasted SO good and had such potential to look adorable I knew I needed to make them again soon to share with my readers (and of course, I’ll take any excuse to make these tasty treats!)

I made a couple minor changes this time, mainly using a ganache recipe that has never failed me, and I was much happier with the outcome.  The chocolate topping in the original recipe is made in the microwave with melted chocolate chips, a method that rarely works for me, and it came out with an awful texture and really looked gross.  Also, I think using mini-M&Ms is perfect for these cookies because they are just the right size in proportion to the cookie (only regular size were available to me last time).  These cookies are phenomenal – but what wouldn’t be with this much candy?  Make them today, you won’t be sorry!

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies
Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
24 mini Reeses peanut butter cups, unwrapped
mini marshmallows
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
mini M&Ms

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine peanut butter, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat until well combined.  Divide the dough evenly between 24 wells of a mini-muffin pan (I usually have a bit left over, but do so to leave room for the candy).  Make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, until almost done.  Remove from the oven and press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie until it is flush with the top of the dough.  Top each cookie with 3-4 mini marshmallows.  Return the pan to the oven and bake 2-3 minutes more, until the marshmallows have puffed up.  Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before removing them.  (This is important!  I tried removing them while still slightly warm – not a good idea.)

Once the cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil.  Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.  Bring the cream, sugar and water to a boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.  Gently whisk the mixture together until smooth.  Leave the glaze to sit until it thickens a bit to your desired consistency, then drizzle over the tops of the cookies.  Sprinkle with mini M&Ms before the glaze hardens.

Source: cookies adapted from Picky Palate, ganache from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan