Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Mash-up Cookies

There are three prerequisites to making these cookies - 1. you must love peanut butter, 2. you must love chocolate, and 3. you must love giant bakery style cookies that are pretty much the size of your face. If those three things sound good to you, then this recipe will be perfect! I love the idea of combining two different but similar cookie doughs together to form one amazing, monster cookie.  I went with the peanut butter-chocolate combo because I happen to know a lot of 'PBC' lovers but you could mash-up any two of your favorite cookies.  Chocolate chip on one side and a brownie cookie on the other or snickerdoodles mashed-up with soft vanilla sugar cookies.  The possibilities are only limited to your imagination!

I have to warn you - don't be surprised by the reactions you get from the people you serve these to because they will most likely be as outrageous as the cookies themselves are.  I think at least two people asked me if I was trying to kill them ;-).  In all seriousness though, these cookies are absolutely delicious.  They are so soft, chewy, and bursting with peanut butter and chocolate flavors.  Either of these two cookie recipes made individually would satisfy any cookie lover's sweet tooth, but mashed together, they take yummy to a whole new level.  Next time you are in the mood for a cookie big enough to be a meal on it's own, or are really looking to impress your guests, give these cookies a try. You won't be disappointed!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup
Mash-up Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup  (4 oz) creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2 cups chocolate chips of your choice

Cream the butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese together until light and fluffy and then beat in the sugars followed by the eggs and vanilla.  Mix all of the wet ingredients together until very well combined. Add the baking soda and pinch of salt and then stir in the flour and cornstarch in small batches so that everything mixes together nice and neatly.  Stir in the chocolate chips and chill, covered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups dark (or light) brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
Approx. 25 mini peanut butter cups, chopped

Cream the butter until light and fluff and then beat in the sugar followed by the eggs and vanilla extract.  Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together into a separate bowl and then slowly add that to the wet ingredients. Don't skip the sifting in this recipe; cocoa powder tends to be very lumpy) Mix everything until just combined and then stir in the chopped peanut butter cups.  Chill, covered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.  

Mash-up!

When you are ready to make the cookies, bring the cookie doughs out of the refrigerator and let them set at room temperature for five to ten minutes, especially if they have been in there for more than just an hour or so.  Use a large scoop (about 2 tbsp) to scoop out as many of each cookie dough as possible.  Lightly form each scoop into a ball - they do not need to be perfect here and we don't want to over work the dough.  Press one ball of each cookie dough together until they adhere. The lightly shape the dough into a fat disk and place on a parchment lined or greased baking tray.  Make sure you leave at least two inches between each cookie.  Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until the outside is turning golden brown and the center still looks just a little soft.  Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool until you can't stand it any more and just need to try one!

Notes:
-You might have more of one dough left over than the other so you can just make a few cookies that are not combinations.
-These recipes can easily be cut in half to make a regular size batch of cookies or each cookie could be made individually and not as a mash-up.  If you make the recipes listed above, it really is two full batches of cookies combined together, so you will get at least 24 huge cookies.
-The cookies can be frozen once they are assembled but not yet baked for three plus months.  Just blind freeze the dough balls on a cookie sheet and once they are solid, transfer them to an air tight container for storage in the freezer.

Enjoy!