"Reese's" Peanut Butter Cookies

 

These cookies are a bit misleading.  They don't technically have Reese's peanut butter cups in them, but they do have chocolate & peanut butter, and the "Reese" is in reference to the adorable little baby one of my good friends just had - so I made her these cookies.

Meet Reese.

 Isn't she a cutie?

I could just hold her all day! :)

Speaking of kiddos, these cookies are also for a special cause called "Cookies for Kids' Cancer."  I've had the privilege of participating in a special blogger event for the past few years through OXO which helps raise money for the non-profit organization. OXO donates money for each blog post and in addition, provides bloggers such as myself with some great cooking supplies like the ones below: 

Non-Stick Half Sheet Pan: http://us.oxo.com/bfmMW

Medium Cookie Scoop: http://us.oxo.com/bfmNc 

Cookie Spatula: http://us.oxo.com/bfmNz

You can find these and other great products online and in stores - and be sure to check for this sticker on specially marked products so you can help support the cause with your purchase! 

 

- Cookies for Kids' Cancer is a recognized 501c(3) public charity duly incorporated under the laws of the state of New Jersey. Your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. 100% of proceeds raised by Cookies for Kids' Cancer fund pediatric cancer research.

- OXO will be donating $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for each blog post dedicated to this campaign in October (up to our $100,000 commitment*.)

- *In 2015, OXO will donate up to $100,000 to Cookies for Kids' Cancer through product proceeds, bake sale matches and other fundraising efforts

...now back to these delicious cookies...

  

 "Reese's" Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

1¼ cup sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup dark cocoa powder

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar 

1 cup chocolate chips (mix of semi-sweet & white, or milk chocolate) 

Shortening (to help with melting chocolate if needed) 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended.  Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.  Make sure the ingredients are well combined. 

Using your OXO medium cookie scoop, portion out about 1 1/2 - 2 scoops and roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc.  Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart. Bake about 16 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the peanut butter balls by mixing powdered sugar and peanut butter and roll into 1 inch balls.   

Right after removing cookies from oven, gently press a peanut butter ball on top of each cookie. Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals until fully melted.  Adding a teaspoon of shortening will help keep the chocolate smooth and easy to drizzle. Top each cookie with melted chocolate and let cool until hardened.  

Enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from: Love from the oven