Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Natural Peanut Butter (Creamy, stirred well)
  • 0.5 cup Grass-fed Unsalted Butter (Softened to room temperature)
  • 0.75 cup Dark Brown Sugar (Packed)
  • 0.25 cup Coconut Sugar
  • 1 Large Pasture-raised Egg (Room temperature)
  • 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 0.5 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1.5 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 0.5 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1.5 cups Mini Peanut Butter Cups (Halved)
  • 0.25 cup Dark Chocolate Chips (Optional)

Instructions:

  1. Cream the grass fed butter, dark brown sugar, and coconut sugar in your mixer. Note: Continue for at least 3 minutes until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and continue mixing until the oils are fully incorporated and the color is uniform.
  2. Incorporate the pasture raised egg and vanilla extract. Note: Ensure the egg is at room temperature to prevent the butter from curdling. Beat on medium speed until the batter looks glossy and smooth.
  3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add this to the wet ingredients. Mix on the lowest setting until just a few streaks of flour remain. Over mixing here will develop gluten and make the cookies tough.
  4. Gently fold in the halved peanut butter cups and dark chocolate chips by hand. Note: This prevents the mixer from pulverizing the delicate candy shells. Stir until the inclusions are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
  5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Note: Chilling solidifies the fats, which controls the spread during baking. The dough should feel firm and cold to the touch before scooping.
  6. Scoop 2 tablespoon portions and roll them into spheres. Note: Aim for roughly 35 grams per ball for total precision. Place them on the prepared sheet leaving 2 inches of space between each.
  7. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for exactly 10 minutes. Note: The cookies will look slightly underdone in the center, which is correct. Remove when the edges are tawny and the tops have just begun to crackle.
  8. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Note: This allows the structure to set so they don't break when moved. Transfer to a wire rack until they reach room temperature.