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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Cookies

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A few weeks ago I went crazy for the Salty Chocolate Chunk Cookies and told you I already had a few variations up my sleeve. Adding Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to the dough was my first idea. As I pulled the candy from my pantry, I noticed the bag of pretzels and my good idea suddenly got better. I have no self-control around peanut butter filled pretzels as it is, so why not add the combo to this completely addicting cookie?!
I told my Facebook fans that if someone could guess the two ingredients I added to the cookies I'd send them a dozen. People started guessing (spurring more ideas for future batches!), but no one went as crazy as my sister Julia. The girl loves a competition almost as much as she loves cookies, and my phone starting pinging every thirty seconds with her rapid fire guesses. This of course spurred my other two siblings to enter their own (outlandish) guesses...for the record, you will never find me putting rusty nails or cat hair in my cookies (good guesses though Quinn!).
Julia, whose birthday is actually today (LOVE YOU sister!), finally came close, guessing peanut butter and pretzels. I declared her a winner and dropped her off some cookies the next evening where she and her husband fought over the delivery. These, like the originals they're based off of, are pretty perfect in the world of cookies. Perfect texture. Perfect thickness. Perfect sweet and salty balance. I shared the batch with a few other people and one friend called them the best cookies of her life. Are you running to the kitchen to make them yet?!

One Year Ago: Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake (the ultimate in chocolate peanut butter desserts!)
Three Years Ago: Bran Breaded Tilapia

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Cookies
slightly adapted from my Salty Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
-3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
-2 large egg yolks
-1 large egg
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-8 oz Reese's peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped (about 11 full sized ones)
-1/3 cup coarsely chopped pretzels
-fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt

Directions:

1. Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 375F.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. Beat butter with brown sugar, sugar, and powdered sugar for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, egg, and vanilla and beat for an additional 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients, beating just until combined. Use a spatula to fold in pretzels and chopped Reese's peanut butter cups.
4. Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Leave 1 inch between cookies. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt.
5. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, just until golden brown on the edges. Allow cookies to cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.