Small Batch Super Giant Peanut Butter Cookies were created during a phase where I was experimenting with confectioners' sugar in cookie dough. The cookies are very good, but the recipe got lost in the shuffle. I'm glad I dug it back up because it's a fun one to play with.
I posted this recipe back when I had more reader interaction, and it has some good reviews. I've noticed the results vary depending on what type of peanut butter you use, whether or not you weigh the ingredients and how long the dough is chilled.
Giant Peanut Butter Cookie Experiments
There are all kinds of ways to change up this recipe. Some things I'm going to try in the future include substituting dark brown sugar for light, using different kinds of peanut butter, maybe incorporating a little whole wheat flour, adding a tiny bit of blackstrap molasses or possibly adding a little peanut butter flavoring.
More Giant Baked Goods
Recipe
Super Small Batch Giant Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter (56 grams)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted or weighed (120 grams)
- ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup peanut butter, softened
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (95 grams)
- 1 teaspoon water, optional and I haven't needed it lately
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
- ¼ cup lightly salted peanuts
- Reese’s Pieces
Instructions
- In a bowl, stir together hot butter, powdered sugar and brown sugar until smooth. If still very hot, let cool for about a minute, then stir in egg. Beat with a spoon until egg is fully mixed then stir in vanilla, baking soda and salt. Stir in peanut butter. Add flour and stir just until mixed. If dough seems too dry (falling apart), add the water.
- Stir in peanut butter chips and salted nuts. You can also add Reese's Pieces or any other peanut butter candy if you happen to have some. Shape dough into a fat log of about 6 or 7 inches log. Chill for 1 hour.
- Cut log into 6 equal pieces (each should weigh about 3 ½ oz). If chunks of cookies and chips fall out, just stick them back onto the cut pieces.
- Place cut pieces about 4 inches away from each other, 4-6 to a sheet, on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.
- Remove from oven and arrange a few more chunks on top – the candy will melt and adhere to the cookie. Cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Anonymous says
I see Pikachu :3
Anna says
Hooray! Glad the small batch worked for you. You were right to omit the water. Sometimes with small batch recipes, you have to make adjustments like that.
SoBay K80 says
Kudos on this one, clever to use powdered sugar! the small batch came out perfect, not an easy accomplishment My first run was what I would describe as "kid sweet", but I cut back 1/4c powdered sugar and omitted the water on the second run and they were absolutely delectable. The dough is thick but the melted butter helps slick the mix and results a moist chewy cookie. The dough would be soooo good in a cookie dough ice-cream (made w/ egg beaters instead of raw egg)
Anna says
Calvin, that's good to know. I'm going to go ahead and change the recipe. Thanks for experimenting!
Another thing I've been meaning to add is that a reader named Beth made a non-dairy version. Instead of using the regular butter, she used an extra 4 tablespoons of peanut butter and had good results.
I guess the final test should be all peanut butter and some sort of egg replacement to make these vegan. Maybe
-- no butter
-- 3/4 cup peanut butter
-- 1/4 cup applesauce in place of egg
-- some sort of vegan approved peanut butter chunk (if such thing exists) or just vegan chocolate chunks
Calvin says
Wow! Those cookies were absolutely incredible! A slight, even, crunchy outside with a soft, gooey, candy filled inside... it doesn't get much better than that.
As for regular vs natural peanut butters, there was a difference, but it was incredibly small. The natural pb made the dough a bit more moist and oily and the baked cookies just a tinge darker with tiny micro-cracks along the smoother parts of the surface.
In the taste department, I actually think the natural peanut butter wins out... though I'm sure the difference is only noticeable when taste testing. They were just a tad smoother and had a richer, warmer flavor.
Ultimately, I'd say that bakers should go ahead and use whatever they have in their pantry, but when I make them again, (and that'll be VERY soon!) I'll be sure to use natural pb.
Thanks for this great recipe, Anna! Can't wait for more of your creations.
Calvin says
You know, I was already planning on making them tonight, but I may just go ahead and make two batches (natural, not natural) and compare it with what you get. The good thing with cookie experimenting is that even the "bad" batches usually come out pretty good and in my book, more cookies=more pleasure!
Anna says
You know, I think I'll go ahead and test these with natural.
Anna says
Hi Calvin,
I am happy to hear the peanut butter cookies lured you in. Your question is a good one. The reason I say "not natural" is because I tested it with the "not natural" type which was what I had on hand. Some people use natural and non-natural peanut butter interchangeably and then wonder why a recipe made with one type of peanut butter didn't turn out right. I like natural peanut butter, but it has less sugar and a different make-up than regular peanut butter. Since I tested this recipe with regular peanut butter and the regular peanut butter worked, I said "Not Natural". If you are willing to experiment (you or anyone reading this) with natural, let me know how things work out.
Calvin says
Anna, these giant cookie creations have sucked me into your blog! I was curious, though, why you chose to specifically mention NOT using natural peanut butter? Does it change consistency?
Anna says
Okay, Renee created a monster. I tested the ribbon theory and it worked out pretty well. I loved the peanut butter ribbons. The caramel ribbons were okay, but not necessarily my thing.
Make cookie dough as directed above, omitting peanut butter chips.
For Ribbons:
2 tablespoons peanut butter chips
2 tablespoons peanut butter (preferably creamy)
2 teaspoons butter
Caramel Ribbons
1/4 cup caramel bits
1 teaspoon milk or cream (I tested with milk, but think cream would work better)
For peanut butter ribbons, combine chips, peanut butter and butter in a small custard cup. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until melted and smooth. Spoon melted peanut butter mixture onto a plate lined with parchment or wax paper. Chill until peanut butter mixture is firm. Slice into “ribbons”
For caramel, do the same thing – microwave bits and milk together for 30 minute. Stir until smooth. Pour onto parchment or wax paper lined plate and chill. If caramel does not get firm, use freezer. Scrape it up and kind of twist it into little worms.
Mold your cookie dough into 6 rounds. Working one round at a time, break a round in half and lay a few strips of peanut butter ribbon across center. Do same with caramel. Put halves back together to enclose “ribbons” then lay a ribbon or two across top.
Bake as directed. Let cool completely. Note, if you put ribbons on top, cookies won’t look done because ribbons stay soft. Take them out anyway and let them cool.
Anna says
Ah! Gotcha.
Let me look into that. I know how to do ribbons in ice cream, but never really thought about putting ribbons of caramel or chocolate in cookies.
I guess one thing you could do would be to combine some peanut butter and vegetable oil or melted shortening, soften the mixture so that it's almost liquidy, then spoon it out onto a piece of parchment paper set on a plate. Next, you'd put the plate in the freezer to solidify the peanut butter/fat mixture.
Finally, when ready to bake the cookies, you'd break off strips of frozen peanut butter mixture and stick them in the cookie dough mounds right before baking -- burying them a bit so they don't melt and leak onto the cookie sheet too much.
This is off the top of my head. You may need to mix the peanut butter with something else that will firm up better like melted butter or melted peanut butter chips.
Sorry I'm typing fast. Gotta go pick up Fuzz.
Reneé says
I was referring to these and the chocolate chip ones. I looked up the site for the cookies you mentioned in your original post and it talked about having ribbons of peanut butter or caramel in them. I can't figure out how they'd do something like that without it blending right in. I didn't know if you had come across a technique that might allow you to do that...
Anna says
Thanks for trying them, Amanda. I liked them too.
Muffy says
Yes, I was VERY good at hiding the evidence (aka:cleaning up). Except for the time I made a whole batch of cinnamon swirl cookies, hid them in my bedroom closet, and then forgot them. Until Mom was spring cleaning and an avalanche of cookies fell on her. BUSTED! (But the incident did end the ban on my using the oven unsupervised)
Anna says
I guess they just add it to the dough at the last minute. Is there any particular recipe you are referring to?
Reneé says
Just a question, and you might not have an answer, but do you know how people get "ribbons" of peanut butter or caramel into their cookies?
kate says
Hi Anna,
I have not seen the cheesecake Kisses, but I will keep my eyes peeled!
Well, these cookies lost out to three bananas that were crying to be muffins. But I will make them soon!
Kate
Anna says
Beth, thanks again for experimenting with the oil. I wonder if adding butter extract along with oil would be good. Then again, butter extract doesn't taste much like butter to me!
Muffy, that is hilarious. You must have been really good at cleaning up. That was my downfall. I could never bake on the sly because I just wasn't good and concealing the evidence.
Reneé, I needed some unhealthy cookies to balance out the (sort of) healthy cookies. Now I suppose I'll be needing a healthy cake to balance out the not-so-healthy cake made with chocolate and beer.
Reneé says
I love how these cookies follow the healthy cookies! And these look incredible. I'm doing WW right now, so I'm going to have to wait awhile to make them, but they WILL definitely be made!
Muffy says
I get a kick out of "Super Small Batch" cookies. Where were they when I was about young?!? At age 11 or 12,I had strict orders from my mom not to touch the oven when she was at work (if I was home sick or on holiday). I got really, really good at cutting down cake recipes to yield 2 to 4 cupcakes--it was easy to eat that amount before she got home. But I never tried to reduce cookie recipes.
beth says
They came out of the oven looking great - they held together wonderfully and didn't spread too much. They were nice and thick. I tried part of a warm one, and while they were good, something tasted a little off. So, I wouldn't suggest subbing oil for the butter if you don't need to do it, but it's a decent substitute if you can't have dairy. (I also subbed dairy-free choc. chips for the pb chips.) Thanks again!
beth says
Ok, I'm going to try a half recipe with oil and see what happens. I'd try the buttery sticks, but I don't have any in the fridge right now, and even though I asked about it, I don't really like to use margarine if I can avoid it. I'll report back with the results. Thanks for the advice (and all of the yummy recipes)!
Sue says
Hi Anna!
I tried to send you a recipe this a.m. via email but it bounced back to me. It's a "healthy" cookie recipe that was included with some junk mail I got from BC/BS. If you'd like it, would you email me?
Patricia Scarpin says
They look irresistible, Anna!
I have baked with peanut butter only once, and I'm willing to try more recipes.
Laura (ljt2r) says
Holy moly those cookies look good. Would chocolate chips be overkill in them do you think? Chocolate AND peanut butter chips?
Therese says
Oprah and Bob Green's Healthy Challenge 2008...forget it....I say, let's go on a scavenger hunt for all the Hershey Kiss flavors!! I found hot cocoa flavored during Christmas but not the cheesecake flavored..yum!
I made the heart healthy cookies! I used prunes instead of dates. I really don't like dates yet I like prunes...go figure! They turned out excellent!
Becca says
I just wanted to pipe up for the Earth Balance buttery sticks -- works great, I've subbed without a problem or a difference in several recipes. They are vegan so dairy free.
Lori says
Anna,
These cookies look especially yummy. I like your idea of adding the Reeses PB cups too!! I'm definitely going to be on the hunt for the cheesecake kisses- they sound fabulous.
Lori
http://TheRecipeGirl.blogspot.com
Vickie says
These cookies look so delicious. And fortunately I have everything needed, except I have dry roasted peanuts and not lightly salted. I'm going to try these before the week is up.
Cheesecake-filled kisses? *goes into trance* I've had the Mint Truffle, Caramel and Cherry Cordial kisses....but cheesecake? Wow.
I've been a lurking (and salivating) Cookie Madness fan for a pretty long while and appreciate all of your great recipes and photos. Great job!
Anna says
Hi Beth,
The Earth Balance Buttery Sticks would work,
and so would regular margarine. That is, if the trans-fat doesn't scare you. Another option is to just use plain Crisco. The peanut butter has plenty of flavor, so I don't think you'd miss the butter.
If you want to experiment, you could try the recipe with 4 tablespoons of regular vegetable oil. I think they would spread more, however, the peanut butter might be bulky enough to prevent that. It might be worth a try.
You could even half this recipe and make it with 2 tablespoons of beaten egg. You'd only get 3 cookies, but if the oil didn't work out you wouldn't be wasting ingredients. Regular oil might just work.
Anna says
Sue, I think peanuts with or without salt would work, but I really loved the salt here.
Joe, that's a good theory. The malt kisses sound yummy.
Amy, so you made some cookie with peanut butter mix AND brownie mix? Interesting. Or maybe I'm reading that wrong.
Jane, I hope you can find the cheesecake kisses where you live. Mine were in Valentine's Day packaging.
JEP, peanut butter chips are pretty sweet. The ones I used today were from the bulk bin....Sun Ridge I believe. I bought just enough to put in these cookies. I wanted to add Reese's Pieces but couldn't find any really small bags.
beth says
Anna, I love your blog and have been reading it forever. I'd love to try these cookies, but I have a slight problem. I'm currently nursing an infant with a dairy allergy which means I can't have any dairy at all. I'm an avid baker, so I've had to be creative in my baking lately (at least if I'm going to eat it). Anyway, what do you think is the best replacement for butter in these cookies? Is margarine or those buttery sticks a better substitute? (I can't have butter-flavored shortening - sometimes butter flavoring has dairy in it.) Thanks for your insight!
JEP says
I just one of those folks who have never liked the PB chips---a few chopped-up PB cups is a great idea!
Jane says
I was all ready to bake these cookies until I read that Hershey's now makes cheesecake kisses. The cookies will have to wait!
Joe says
I think that all the new kisses had something to do with the celebration of their 100th anniversary of Kisses.
Some of the newer ones we've seen are Chocolate Malt Crunch and Chocolate Marshmallow.
Sue says
You come up with the greatest ideas for cookies! I can just imagine the sweet with just a bit of salt.
Anna says
Kate, have you seen the new cheesecake filled chocolate kisses? I saw them at the grocery store the other day and thought the same thing you did...."What's up with all the new kisses?". Then my next thought was "Why didn't they do this sooner????" It's sad to think of all those wasted years where all we had were milk chocolate kisses.
I'm really happy with how these peanut butter cookies turned out. They were soft at first, then a few hours later they became a bit more solid (solid enough to wrap individually) but stayed moist through and through.
kate says
Hi Anna,
I keep staring at these cookies, hoping they will appear on a plate before me. Yum. I'm making these tomorrow!
I have some of those Hershey's Kisses that are filled with peanut butter. I will chunk those up and throw them in.
Side note: I used the Mint Truffle Kisses in some dark chocolate cookies and they were amazing.
Why are there so many Kisses now? It's a bit crazy. Did they hire a new idea person and she's all, "More flavors! Every flavor! More! More!" ??? Just something I think about too much.
-kate