Peanut Butter Fudge Puddles (Cookie Cups)

Peanut butter fudge puddles are pleasant 2-bite peanut butter cookie cups baked in a mini muffin pan and crammed with a wealthy chocolate cream—a pairing of complementary flavors and contrasting textures for chocolate-peanut butter lovers solely! I obtained this recipe from a pal, and the whimsical title makes these candy treats much more irresistible.

After I consider the number of flavors that merely should be included in my vacation cookie trays, the assortment at all times consists of conventional favorites like sugar cookies, spiced gingerbread cookies and molasses cookies, and peppermint mocha cookies. However I additionally have to have a chocolate-peanut butter combo in there. As a result of… do I really want a purpose?

Chocolate + peanut butter IS the explanation.

Whereas I really like basic peanut butter blossoms, at this time’s cookies are a bit of completely different as a result of we’re making our personal filling as an alternative of urgent in a store-bought chocolate sweet. However I promise it’s simple to make! It’s a silky-smooth, oh-so-creamy chocolate filling, just like chocolate ganache, that stays gentle.

Peanut Butter Fudge Puddles Recipe Snapshot

• Texture: A barely crisp peanut butter cookie cup contrasts properly with the gentle, silky-smooth chocolate filling. A sprinkle of toffee bits on prime provides a bit of crunch.
• Taste: Chocolate. Peanut butter. Subsequent query.
• Ease: Newbie bakers can positively deal with this recipe.
• Time: The dough wants to relax for 1 hour. Every part else strikes fairly shortly.

Fudge Puddle Elements You Want & Why

• Butter: Butter provides taste and construction. Ensure you have correct room-temperature butter, so it aerates and lotions with the sugar.
• Sugars: We use a mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar on this recipe. Each for sweetness, and brown sugar for further moisture and taste.
• Peanut Butter: An important ingredient! For greatest outcomes, use processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy—the identical I like to recommend for my peanut butter balls and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
• Egg: One egg binds all the things collectively and retains the peanut butter cookie cups from crumbling aside in your fingers.
• Vanilla Extract: For taste.
• Flour: All-purpose flour kinds the bottom of those peanut butter cookie cups. You don’t want lots; do you know that nut butters act as a binder and might truly exchange some or all flour in cookie recipes? See these flourless monster cookies! Utilizing extra flour will dry out the cookies, so stick to the recipe beneath.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the dough increase within the oven.
• Salt: To steadiness all of the flavors.

And for the chocolate filling, you want simply 3 elements: chocolate, mascarpone cheese, and a bit of oil to maintain it {smooth}.

These Step-by-Step Images Will Assist

To make the peanut butter cookie cups, mix the moist elements after which add the dry elements. That is a straightforward 1-bowl cookie dough. An electrical mixer is vital. Anticipate a really gentle and creamy cookie dough:

Refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 hour. It’s going to nonetheless be fairly gentle after this hour, however it is going to be simpler to mildew and form. Scoop the chilled dough with a Tablespoon measuring spoon, and roll into balls. Place the cookie dough balls right into a greased mini muffin pan. That is the mini muffin pan I take advantage of and love. When you don’t have greater than 1 mini muffin pan, you’ll be able to bake these in batches—simply preserve the 2nd batch of dough balls chilly.

Use your thumb to press down within the heart of the cookie dough ball and mildew the dough up the edges of every cup. Like this:

Bake at 325°F (163°C). (Baking them at 350°F gave us laborious, over-baked cookie cups.)

They puff up within the oven, so use a rounded spoon like a teaspoon to evenly press down the middle of every cookie cup once more once they come out of the oven. Allow them to cool within the pan for 10 minutes, after which switch them from the pan to a cooling rack to chill fully earlier than filling. A butter knife could also be wanted that can assist you take away them from the pan.

Success Tip

Don’t under-bake these cookie cups. In the event that they’re further gentle, they’ll fully crumble whenever you attempt to take away them from the mini muffin pan.

Fudge Puddle Filling

When you’ve ever made my recipe for chocolate ganache, you could keep in mind that, to make ganache, we pour heat heavy cream over chopped chocolate to soften it, after which stir. For at this time’s filling, we’re type of stepping into reverse. Soften the chocolate (with the oil) first, then fold the mascarpone into the melted chocolate.

Utilizing a teaspoon, spoon the filling—as a lot as you’ll be able to match—into every cookie cup.

For further texture and aptitude, sprinkle the tops with some crushed toffee bits. I take advantage of the Heath model of toffee bits, discovered within the baking aisle close to the chocolate chips. You can additionally prime these peanut butter fudge puddles with chopped peanuts, sprinkles, or flaky sea salt as an alternative. Or don’t sprinkle them with something in any respect, they’re good all on their very own!

You don’t want rainboots to get pleasure from this scrumptious muddy puddle expertise. It’s raining chocolate—hallelujah! 😉

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Peanut Butter Fudge Puddles (Cookie Cups)

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5 from 3 opinions

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  Writer: Sally
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  Prep Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
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  Cook dinner Time: 14 minutes
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  Complete Time: 3 hours (consists of cooling)
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  Yield: 36-40 mini cups
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  Class: Cookies
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  Technique: Baking
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  Delicacies: American

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Description

These pleasant 2-bite peanut butter cookie cups are referred to as peanut butter fudge puddles. They’re baked in a mini muffin pan, then crammed with a wealthy chocolate cream. The key ingredient is mascarpone cheese, which retains the fudge-like chocolate filling tremendous gentle and creamy. Be aware that these bake at 325°F (163°C) and never 350°F.

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Cookie Cups

Fudge Filling

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Directions

1. Make the cookie cups: In a big bowl utilizing a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium excessive pace till gentle and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl with a silicone spatula as wanted. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat till mixed.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the moist elements and beat on low pace till the dry elements are integrated, after which improve to medium pace and beat till nicely mixed. The dough will probably be very creamy and gentle. Cowl and chill the cookie dough within the fridge for no less than 1 hour, and as much as 3 days.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease 2 mini muffin pans (or bake in batches in case you have only one pan) with nonstick spray, or line with mini cupcake liners. I want these with out liners; the dough is less complicated to “thumbprint” with out liners. Put aside. 
4. Scoop and roll cookie dough, about 1 Tablespoon/20g of dough every. Place the dough balls within the ready pan. Together with your thumb, press down within the heart of every dough ball, to make an indent, and press the dough partway up the edges of the muffin cup. (When you solely have 1 mini muffin pan, refrigerate the 2nd batch of dough balls till able to bake.)
5. Bake for 14–quarter-hour or till the sides seem evenly browned. Don’t under-bake these. The cookie cups will puff up within the oven; that’s okay and anticipated.
6. Take away from the oven and place the mini muffin pan on a cooling rack. Let the cookie cups cool within the pan for simply 5–10 minutes. Throughout this time, use the again of a rounded teaspoon to evenly press into the middle of every cookie cup to make the indent deeper once more. After 5–10 minutes, rigorously take away cookie cups from the pan. Use a butter knife to assist, if wanted. Place cookie cups on a cooling rack to chill fully. 
7. Make the fudge filling: Soften the chopped chocolate and oil collectively in a double boiler or use the microwave. For the microwave, place the chocolate and oil in a big heat-proof bowl. Soften in 20-second increments, stirring after every increment till fully melted and {smooth}. Let barely cool for 3 minutes. With a silicone spatula or a spoon, gently fold the mascarpone into the melted chocolate till mixed.
8. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the filling into every cooled cookie cup. Prime with toffee bits or chopped peanuts, if utilizing.
9. Cowl and retailer at room temperature for as much as 1 day, or within the fridge for as much as 5 days.

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Notes

1. Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You may make the cookie dough and chill it within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Baked cookies, with or with out filling, freeze nicely for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge or at room temperature. Unbaked cookie dough freezes nicely for as much as 3 months. Learn my ideas and tips on easy methods to freeze cookie dough.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Glass Mixing Bowl | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Rounded Measuring Spoons | Silicone Spatula | Mini Muffin Pan | Cooling Rack
3. Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter is good for this cookie dough as a result of crunchy peanut butter creates an excessively crumbly cookie. For this explicit recipe, it’s greatest to make use of processed peanut butter akin to Jif or Skippy. When you resolve to make use of pure peanut butter, make certain it’s at room temperature, stirred nicely, and anticipate a barely crumblier cookie.
4. Can I Use Almond Butter, One other Nut Butter, or Sunflower Seed Butter? Sure, you should use almond butter or one other nut butter or sunflower seed butter on this cookie recipe; nevertheless, anticipate a crumblier cookie. Sunflower seed butter might give your cookies a barely greenish hue after baking, brought on by a chemical response with baking soda, however they are going to be completely high quality to eat. I’ve not examined this recipe with Nutella and am not sure of the outcomes.
5. Can I Use One other Cookie Dough? Sure, I’m certain you’ll be able to. You possibly can do that sugar cookie dough or this chocolate chip cookie dough with out the chocolate chips. I might chill both dough for 1 hour earlier than shaping, as instructed with the peanut butter dough recipe.
6. Chocolate: It’s also possible to use bittersweet chocolate if wanted. You want 2 normal bars (4 oz./113g every) of baking chocolate. I like Ghirardelli, Baker’s, and Guittard manufacturers, which I discover within the baking aisle of my grocery retailer, close to the chocolate chips. As a result of we’re melting the chocolate, keep away from utilizing chocolate chips, which comprise stabilizers that stop them from absolutely melting.
7. What Can I Use As a substitute of Mascarpone? Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese. The place I dwell, I can discover it within the grocery retailer close to the ricotta cheese, and this recipe conveniently makes use of 1 standard-size 8-ounce tub of mascarpone. I strongly encourage you to make use of mascarpone should you can! The flavour and consistency is solely incomparable. When you completely can not use it, you’ll be able to attempt changing it with 8 ounces of full-fat cream cheese, although the chocolate can have a cream cheese taste. Or you can also make chocolate ganache. Watch for it to chill and thicken till spoonable consistency, about 2 hours.
8. Can I Make These in a Commonplace Muffin Pan? Sure, you’ll be able to bake these in a normal 12-cup muffin pan. I might use 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie cup. I’m not sure of the most effective bake time. Ought to make round 20 cookie cups.

Recipe from my pricey pal Erin, who obtained it from an outdated situation of The Baltimore Solar.