Today we’re making peanut butter cookies absolutely LOADED with chunks of dark chocolate, chopped up peanut butter cups, and mini marshmallows.
They’re inspired by my not-so-secret love of using a dark chocolate peanut butter cup in place of the chocolate and/or chocolate chip cookies in place of the graham crackers when making campfire s’mores.
I just figure if I’m going to the trouble to 1. forage for sticks in the woods, 2. wait until a fire has burned down to the embers, and 3. rotisserie my marshmallow at the perfect angle for a maximum brown-exterior-to-inner-goo ratio, I might as well give my marshmallow a vehicle a little more worthy of my efforts than a piece of Hershey’s chocolate and whatever graham crackers the nearest gas station carries.
Yes, I am well aware that I am allll sorts of extra.
If you haven’t yet crossed over into chocolate chip cookie/peanut butter cup s’mores land, you can consider these inspired cookies your official introduction.
Let’s get started!
To make these cookies you’ll need:
Coconut Oil. Virgin or refined both work, just make sure it’s nice and soft at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily by hand.
Peanut Butter. Preferably the kind that’s made from just peanuts and salt, without any added oils, sugars, or stabilizers.
Egg. This helps hold the structure of these cookies, but I did try a batch with a flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water) that worked, too, if you want a vegan/eggless version! They’re a teeny bit more delicate with a flax egg, but still totally delicious!
Coconut Sugar.This gives the cookies their caramel sweetness, but organic brown sugar would be another great option!
Almond Flour. Blanched/fine almond flour works best here, and keeps these cookies naturally gluten/grain-free. You could also try oat or chickpea flour in its place, for another fun gluten-free option. If you don’t have almond flour or don’t need these to be GF, feel free to try these out with whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose!
Baking Powder + Baking Soda. To help keep babies puffy and tender.
Dark Chocolate AND Peanut Butter Cups. Do you have to use both chocolate and peanut butter cups? No. Does it make these cookies infinitely more exciting? Yes. The choice is yours.
Mini Marshmallows. Because, hello, s’mores. I like these ones, though I suspect the mini marshmallows sold at Trader Joes (for like a third of the price) are the exact same ones.
Salt. To balance out allll that sweetness.
Everything literally gets mixed in 1 bowl, scooped directly onto a pan (no need to rest or refrigerate the dough!), and baked until golden and gooey.
It’s prettymuch a cookie dream come true.
And, since food, environmental, and racial justice are inextricably linked, I’d love to direct you towards purchasing chocolate from companies that prioritize the health, safety, and economic success of their (almost entirely BIPOC) cocoa farmers in addition to ensuring their product is grown sustainability and organically.
I deeply believe that small purchases can have a big impact, and I love and support the work these companies are doing to create alternative food systems and empower farmers. I love Equal Exchange for bars and chocolate chips, Alter Eco for bars and truffles, and am constantly consulting this list when considering purchasing from other companies, as ensuring you’re buying ethically sourced, child and slave labor-free chocolate is more difficult than you would think.
If you try out these cookies, be sure to let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Cookies and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!! Happy baking, friends!
PB + s’mores, previously: Peanut Butter S’mores Bars and Peanut Butter Oatmeal S’mores Cookie Pie.
Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Cookies
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 12 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, at soft room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups blanched/fine almond flour
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
- 3-4 peanut butter cups, roughly chopped (optional- can replace with additional 1/4 cup dark chocolate)
- 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Mix together the peanut butter, coconut oil, and sugar in a large bowl, stirring well to fully combine.
- Add in the egg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix well to combine.
- Add in almond flour, chocolate, peanut butter cups (if using), and marshmallows, and stir again to fully combine.
- Scoop dough by the heaping 2 Tablespoon-full, to yield 12 cookies. Use your hands to push any rogue marshmallows or chocolate back into each ball of dough.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are golden around the edges and just set in the middle.
- Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully. These cookies are a little delicate when still warm- though please don’t let that stop you from enjoying at least one when still warm- but hold their structure fully when cooled. Extras keep in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
MAKE IT VEGAN: use a flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water) in place of the egg.