Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

The hubby and I were on our weekly Sunday morning bagel-buying excursion yesterday when I told him I thought we should have some fresh cookies. He said, "Ooh, you should make the brown ones."

The brown ones? What do they have in them? "I dunno." Were they the ones I made when you guys went fishing? "I forget." Are they something I've made in the past year? "I don't remember." Honey, I make lots of brown cookies. Which ones are you talking about? "Don't you make some with peanut butter in them?" Uh, no.

But now I will. Just in case the hubby has a second, secret, better wife who makes him brown peanut butter cookies and doesn't wake him up at the buttcrack of dawn each morning so he can put her socks on her feet for her because she can't even see her feet, let alone put socks on them.

Hey, that sort of thing happens all the time. You ever watch Lifetime?

So anyway, I experimented. I made my favorite chocolate cookie dough, bought a 6-pack* of Reese's, ate one, chopped up the rest, and and threw them in the batter. I had a feeling the chocolate from the peanut butter cups would kind of disintegrate, so I threw in some milk chocolate chips, too. I was correct in my assumption; the chocolate around the peanut butter cups melted away, leaving chunks of the peanut buttery filling behind (yum!). The hubby gave the cookies two thumbs up. I think he's going to keep me around.

*Okay, okay. So I bought two packs of candy bars. You know, just in case. I am addicted to chocolate these days. But for you healthy eaters, know that Operation: I Miss Pants with Zippers will commence as soon as the baby arrives.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Makes about 30

5 whole Reeses peanut butter candy bars (10 cups total)
8 oz. semisweet chips
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
2/3 c. milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop peanut butter cups into small pieces.

They're easiest to chop if they're cold. I also put them back in the fridge while I'm mixing the batter, just to toughen them up a bit for the ensuing stirring.

2. Melt semisweet chips on the stovetop, or microwave in a glass bowl for about 2 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

3. Combine sugar and butter, and then add melted chocolate.

4. When combined and slightly cooled, add eggs and vanilla. Mix in baking powder, salt, and flour, and then gently stir in chocolate chips and peanut butter cup pieces.

5. Form cookies into balls, and then flatten on cookie sheets.

6. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cookies sit on pan a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.