Triple Peanut Butter Cookies

If you're anything like me and love peanut butter, then this recipe is perfect for you! It's a peanut butter lover's dream. There is peanut butter in the dough as well as in the chips and mini cups mixed in and pressed on top. The cookie itself is a bit crunchy on the outside but moist and full of rich flavor on the inside. Stephen isn't always the biggest fan of cake-like cookies but he requested these... and ate three of them in a matter of minutes. The recipe calls for Dutch-process cocoa powder... don't skimp. It's really what gives the base of these cookies their flavor. If you think buying "expensive" cocoa powder is a waste of money, think again. I use it for brownies, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream, and muddy buddies. In fact, I need to order another pouch of it from here. Anyway, I hope you'll give these a try. You won't be disappointed.

Triple Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
1 c. all-purpose flour
7 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter, heaping
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. whole milk
1 c. chopped peanut butter cups (I quartered mini ones)
1 c. Reese's peanut butter baking chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Gently whisk to combine.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugars, peanut butter and butter. Beat on medium speed for approximately 1-2 minutes until creamed. Add the egg, vanilla extract and milk. Mix until smooth.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients until incorporated.
5. Remove from mixer and gently fold in peanut butter chips and 1/2 c. chopped peanut butter cups  with a spatula (reserve the other 1/2 c.).
6. Using a dough scoop, drop dough (about 3 tbsp.) onto the lined baking sheets (the cookies will not spread very much, so they can be about 2 inches apart from each other). Gently press to flatten them a bit, then press a few pieces of the remaining peanut butter cups into each cookie.
7. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan half way through the baking process (the cookies will look slightly underbaked, but that's ok, you don't want to overbake them). Remove from oven and let cool on sheets for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Makes approximately 24 cookies.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour