You would have thought spending an entire day at the Mall of America would have squashed the urge to shop in both my Mom and me for quite some time. Well my friends, you’d be wrong.
Mumsie picked me up promptly at 9am to scour the mall, DSW, Nike factory store, Costo and the grocery store for all the last minute Christmas gifts we needed to get. We didn’t get home ’til 2pm, but can both officially say that we are DONE Christmas shopping.
Whee!
Now I just have to wrap all the gifts. Blerg! 
Ben and I have a Christmas party to attend tonight, so this afternoon I made an epic batch of cookies to take with.
Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Butter Cookies!
Say that five times fast!
These insanely decadent cookies are made with my newest favorite Trader Joe’s find, Cookie Butter.
I thought I’d use the cookie butter to replace the peanut butter in my second all-time favorite Christmas cookie – Peanut Butter Cup Cookies!
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are one of my family’s favorites, and my Mom used to make dozens and dozens of them each year for our family’s annual Christmas party.
I used her recipe, which combines butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla with peanut cookie butter.
The ingredients are whipped up before adding flour, baking soda and salt.
(This is some dang good cookie dough, BTW!)
The dough is spooned into a heavily greased mini muffin tin and baked for exactly 8 minutes.
While the cookies are baking, unwrap the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that are destined to be dropped into the middle of the hot cookie dough.
Once the cookies come out, a peanut butter cup is plopped right in the middle of each one. Now you see it…
Now you don’t!
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
[sc:ZipList’
Makes 35 cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter (could use peanut butter)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
35 Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups (1 regular sized bag)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter, cookie butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until light and creamy. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 3 batches, mixing until just incorporated before adding the next batch.
- Spray a mini muffin tin very well with non-stick spray. Add 1 Tablespoon cookie dough into each cup. Bake for 8 minutes exactly. Unwrap peanut butter cups while the cookies bake.
- Once the cookies have been removed from the oven, immediately push one peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie. Cool in mini muffin tin completely before removing.
These cookies are mind-melting. Over the top decadent. You only need one…or two! 
The cookie butter gives the dough a buttery (gee, really?) taste, and dark, mysterious appearance. It is so great.
Hope everyone at the party likes ‘em!
In other news, I seriously dropped the ball on the 20 Day Holiday Workout Challenge this week, missing 3 out of 5 workouts, but tried to make up for it with a nice & schweaty 50 minute treadmill routine this afternoon:
| Time: | Speed: | Incline: |
| 0-3 | 4.0 | 0% |
| 3-6 | 6.5 | 0% |
| 6-8 | 7.5 | 0% |
| 8-9 | 8.5 | 0% |
| 9-27 | Repeat minutes 3-9, three more times | 0% |
| 27-35 | 6.0 | 2% |
| 35-37 | 6.0 | 6% |
| 37-40 | 4.0 | 0% |
| Total: | 4.25 miles |
Followed by 10 minutes at 4.0 mph on Level 15 Hills.
This workout felt SO good! Hoping to get back to the gym tomorrow to try and catch up with my challenge!
Aaaand, we’re off. Have a great, Saturday night!
These are seriously my favorite cookies ever. I can’t wait to make them this week! Of course, I use peanut butter, but that cookie butter sounds fantastic.
those look amazing! I so heart reeses pb cups! I have discovered the mini ones and they might be my downfall LOL
I think I gained weight just looking at your photos . . .
I love those mini cookies! I’ve been wondering if Earth Balance works in baking. Have you used it before with other kinds of cookies and had success?
I think this was the first time I’ve ever used it in baking. It was even the tub kind and it worked great!
Woahhhh! MUST TRY!
Those are so cute! They would be perfect to bring to a potluck.
Fink I just died a little bit. #yum
These are my favorite kind of cookies! My roommate and I used to make them all the time, but since I moved out I haven’t made them in a while! You have so many good cookies recipes on here! I am way behind on trying all the good ones!
I’ve never made these but love when others do. These sound extra yummy with cookie butter.
What a fun Saturday! I love shopping with my mommy! You’re very lucky to live so close to one another
I have those very cookies on my baking list for tomorrow. Can’t wait!
What a fun day with your mom. Props for having ALL of your shopping done.
Oh my, those cookies wouldn’t last more than 5 minutes in our house!
[...] all-time favorite..I made a batch while I was at school..they were demolished in like..2 days. And Iowa Girl Eats made a version with COOKIE BUTTER! [...]
I am obsessed with Biscoff-we don’t have TJ’s so I can’t get the spread. Boo! I will have to try these! I made Snickerdoodles with a Biscoff filling. Amazing:)
Biscoff FILLED Snickerdoodles?! You are the Cookie Master, Maria!
I made these cookies last week after seeing them on one of your Friday Favorites posts. I made them gluten-free, however, and high-altitude friendly, and they turned out beautifully. YUM.
I am jealous of your state of being done with all your shopping. I have really yet to start! Grr!!
Those cookies look amazing!!!!
I love how you referred to your mom as “Mumsie.” My brother coined that nickname for my Nana YEARS ago and we always all called her Mumsie and she loved it! Broke into a big smile whenever my brother would walk into the room and say “What’s up Mumsie??” She passed away this time last year and I miss her so much but reading that in your post made me smile thinking of her.
OhMyGoodness! Making these for sure.
Thank you so much for posting this! I bought 4 (a little obsessed!) jars of cookie butter and been trying to come up with a way to incorporate it into my holiday baking. Sounds perfect!
Your cookies were amazing Kristin!! Thanks for sharing them with us
This is kind of random, but where did you get that measuring cup thing? It looks SO helpful for measuring messy things like peanut butter! Thanks.
I think I actually got this as a shower gift when I was getting married. Here’s a link to one from the Pampered Chef! http://pamperedchef.biz/lynjudd?page=products-detail&categoryId=123&productId=210&itemId=2225
These cookies are a huge hit. Last year, I was on a diet and didn’t make them for Christmas. HUGE mistake. People were disappointed!!! Will make them this year.
I made these with my daughter tonight and could’ve just sat and ate the cookie dough all night. So good! Thanks for the recipe!
I have Biscoff (which I heard is similar to the cookie butter) so I’ll use that instead.
The Biscoff already taste decadent and I can only imagine how indulgent these dessert will be with the addition of the reese’s.
[...] butter cookies for my husband – his favorite combination is peanut butter and chocolate, so these cookies are [...]
I just made them! They smell yummy!
I used 1Tbsp size scoop and it seems my muffin cups may be too small as they have muffin tops.
Just noticed that it IS a mini MUFFIN pan. Not a mini CUPCAKE pan. Opps. Now I know.
Love the photos!
Thanks!
[...] Next on my list? Iowa Girl Eat’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Butter Cookies. But first, I need to get my hands on some Trader Joe’s Cookie [...]
I just made these with the cookie butter and they might be the best cookies I’ve ever tasted! My mom said wow 6 times, and my dad called them “worthy” — which I’m not sure what that means, but I know it’s good. He’s a master baker/chef, himself! Thank you for this recipe! And Merry Christmas!
Made these for Christmas (with peanut butter) – what a hit!!!
I make these every Christmas…and I never have any left over!
[...] original recipe is from Iowa Girl Eats, but instead of using Cookie Butter (which I need to get my hands on ASAP), [...]
Made these today…..FANTASTIC!!! I might have found a dangerous thing with this Trader Joes Cookie Butter!!!
[...] mugs that we no longer (if ever) use to take to Goodwill, then threw away expired cookie mixes and cookie butters (sob!) ’til I could clean no more.Ahhh, that feels SO much better! Anyone else have a mug [...]
I make these, also. I put in mini holiday candy/cupcake liners and top each with one red and one green M & M for color. They look so festive and beautiful that they look catered.
I, too, love Trader Joes. Will have to try that Cookie Butter.