Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
These salted caramel peanut butter cup cookies are so easy to make, and perfect for the upcoming fall season. They're filled with the warm, nutty, cozy fall flavors we all know and love without being overpowering. The peanut butter cups add just the right amount of chocolate, while the salted caramel brings everything together for a cookie that feels extra special without being complicated.
Equipment
- Whisk
- Large pot
- Large knife
- Cutting board
- Silicon spatula
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup All-purpose flour (173g)
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup Granulated sugar (112g)
- ¼ cup Brown sugar (47g)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg
- ⅓ cup Chocolate chips
- 7 Peanut butter cups
Salted Caramel Ingredients
- 1 cups Granulated sugar (200g)
- 3 tbsp Butter (45g)
- ½ cup Heavy Cream (120ml)
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
1. Prep Ingredients
- In a large bowl, add flour (173g), baking powder (1/2 tsp), baking soda (1/2 tsp), and salt (1 tsp). Whisk together and set aside.
- Chop up chocolate chips and peanut butter cups and set aside.
2. Brown the Butter
- Cut one stick of butter (115g) into cubes and add it to a pot over low-medium heat.
- As the butter starts melting, keep whisking the butter. Do not walk away from the pot.
- Once the butter is browned, remove from the heat and add to your mixing bowl.
Tip: As the butter continues to cook, you will see white dots start to bubble to the surface. Those are milk solids from the butter. Continue whisking until those dots turn brown because whisking helps to prevent burning.
Tip: Before adding the wet ingredients, wait until the butter is back to room temperature before adding the wet ingredients so your eggs don't cook when you add them to the bowl. To speed up that process, fill a bowl with ice water and place the bottom of your mixing bowl in the water for about 3 - 5 minutes.
3. Make the Dough
- Once the butter in your mixing bowl doesn't feel hot anymore, add your granulated sugar (112g) and brown sugar (47g) to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed for about one minute.
- Next, add the vanilla extract (1 tsp) and one egg to the mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the wet ingredients form a pale yellow color.
- Then, on a low speed, gradually start adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until everything is well combined.
- Finally, fold in the chopped up chocolate chips and peanut butter cups with a silicone spatula until well combined.
4. Scoop and Chill
- Take a medium sized cookie scoop and scoop the cookie dough into an airtight container to chill.
- Tip: Ideally you would freeze these overnight, but you can chill them for one hour if you need them same day.
- After the cookies have chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.
5. Bake and Enjoy
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes depending on how hot your oven is.
- Allow the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying.
- You can totally enjoy these as is, but they taste even better with salted caramel on top.
6. Make the Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add granulated sugar (200g) to a large pot on medium heat and occasionally stir until the sugar starts melting. Do not leave the pot.
- Once the sugar starts melting, add in your butter (45g) and start whisking. The butter and sugar should start boiling immediately. Bring the heat down to low and let it simmer for about one minute.
- While whisking, gradually add your heavy cream. Continue whisking until everything comes together into a thick, creamy sauce.
- Whisk in your salt, take it off the heat, and add to a jar or something with a spout. This will make it easier to drizzle the caramel onto the cookies.
- Allow the caramel to cool for about 3 - 5 minutes and then add it on top of the cookies. Enjoy!
Tip: Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time. This process goes by fast.
Notes
Storage
Cookie Dough:- Freezer - You can store the cookie dough in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Fridge - The cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for 5 - 7 days.
- Freezer - You can store the baked cookies in the freezer without the caramel sauce for up to one month.
- Fridge - You can store the baked cookies in the fridge with or without the caramel sauce for up to 5 dayss
- Freezer - You can store the caramel sauce in the freezer for up to 2 - 3 months after it has fully cooled.
- Fridge - Homemade caramel sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 - 2 weeks in an airtight container.
- Counter - I don't recommend leaving the caramel sauce or cookies with the caramel sauce on the counter since there is dairy in it.