Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Get excited!  I am about to share something spectacular with you!  I saw this recipe for mini chocolate chip cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on Tasty Kitchen and immediately added it to my recipe box.  I knew I had to make these because this recipe combines my husband's two favorite things in world (me not included of course!)--Reese's and chocolate chip cookies.  Plus, I don't mind them either!  I think it makes me feel better to believe I'm making desserts for him, not me. 

This treat is just a simple chocolate chip cookie dough that you put in a mini muffin tin and bake, then stuff with Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  Easy!  These turned out wonderful.  My husband liked them as much as I thought he would.  As a matter of fact, he said it was the best thing he's ever eaten.  And as his food preparer, I like to think he eats well! 

While these were easier to handle and still quite tasty while they were cool, they were absolutely fantastic hot out of the oven.  It took every ounce of willpower I had to not eat all of them at once.  The Reese's melt into the cookie and it all is soft, gooey, and amazing!  How can something so simple be so great?  

Before I start rambling too much about how much I love these, let's talk about how easy they are to make!  Start by creaming together shortening and brown sugar until it's all light and fluffy.  I would usually use butter to make chocolate chip cookies and was worried I would miss that buttery flavor in these.  I didn't!

Then beat in a little bit of milk, some vanilla, and an egg.

Add your flour, baking powder, and salt.  This is usually the point where I lose control and sneak *a bite* of cookie dough.

Now fold in some chocolate chips.

Put a little over a teaspoon of cookie dough into greased mini muffin tins.

Bake for 8-9 minutes at 375 degrees.  They will still be really soft, but they will harden as they cool.  While the cookies are baking, unwrap your Reese's.  Sample one for quality control measures.  You can never be too careful!

While the cookies are hot out of the oven (aka, amazingly delicious!) press a Mini Reese's into the center of each one.  

I couldn't wait to try one at this point.  They smelled so good!  So I dug a few out while they were still hot.  They fell apart a little when when I was removing them from the pan, but I didn't care.  I had to dive right in!  I'm salivating a little bit just thinking about it.  Those that didn't get devoured right away cooled in the muffin tin.  They popped right out when they were cooled.  And they were still tasty.  Sadly, my batch is all gone.  But I promise I will baking these many, many more times!

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

3/4 cups vegetable shortening

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

36 pieces mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped

Directions:

Preheat oven to375 degrees.  Generously spray each hold of a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Cream together shortening and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy.  Beat in milk, vanilla, and egg.  Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop 1 heaping teaspoon into each mini muffin hole.  Bake 8-9 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven and immediately press 1 mini Reese's into each cookie.  Allow cookies to cool about 5 minutes in mini muffin tin and then remove and allow to cool on wire rack.

Makes 36 cookies.

Recipe from CookBakeandDecorate