Final Countdown to Christmas: Peanut Butter Temptations

Ever play that game 2 truths and a lie where someone tells you 3 things about themselves, one of which is a lie, and then you have to guess which one isn't true? Let's give it a shot. 1) I only have 2 rotations left! 2) I am completely done Christmas shopping and almost done with Christmas baking. 3) I am in Arizona and will be here until after New Years!

Which one is it? Well, as you can probably guess by my lack of posts, I have quite a bit of Christmas baking left to do. As an apology for my absenteeism, I'm putting together a Final Countdown to Christmas baking list for any of you who are finding yourselves in a similar situation. Bring on the butter and sugar!

The first cookie up is one that has been associated with Christmas at my house for as long as I can remember. Definitely well before I was old enough to bake them on my own. When we were kids, my brother and I were responsible for unwrapping the mini Reese's cups. The only way we could eat any of the candies is if they were smashed, so as you can imagine, we always found quite a few in the bottom of the bag that happened to be "smashed."

The reason for the perennial appearance of these cookies is more than tradition. They taste awesome and are always well received anywhere I have have taken them. If you are a fan of the peanut butter and chocolate combination, these are a must! You'll need a mini-muffin pan, but I promise the purchase is worth it. Happy baking! 

(Printable Recipe)

Peanut Butter Temptations
From Mom

Ingredients:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 pkg. peanut butter cups

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 mini-muffin tins with non-stick spray and set aside. Beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and add to the dough. You may need to add a little bit extra flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Roll the dough into balls and place in the pans. Bake for 8 minutes. The cookies will not look very brown, but they will be cooked through. You do not want to overbake these. 

Immediately press a peanut butter cup into each cookie. Cool and let the peanut butter cups set up completely before removing from the pan with the help of a plastic knife. These can be made with 1 mini-muffin pan, but the pan and cookies need to cool completely before baking a second batch.

Yield: approximately 30 cookies