After an action-packed trip to Hershey, PA, I’m back home in Austin sorting through pictures and trying to round up all the new recipes I brought home. These Reese's-in-the-Middle Cookies are from Chef Cher at the Hotel Hershey.
We watched Cher’s assistant pastry chef make this cookie one night after dinner. He used a stand mixer for the demo, but did you know that something like 80% of all home bakers use hand-held mixers? In the test kitchen, they make all their cookies with hand-helds to get the same results as an average home baker, but since this recipe is from the resort kitchen it was made with a stand mixer. It was also written in weights, but I went ahead and put the volume measures next to each ingredient.
This was one of my favorite recipes from the trip. The chocolate "shell" has a really good texture and flavor, but what makes the cookies special is that the filling has very finely chopped Reese’s pieces in it. Also, I apologize for not having a yield, but I couldn't find it on the original recipe. I'm guessing you'll get about 2 dozen.
Reese’s-in-the-Middle Cookies
6.25 oz all-purpose flour (1 ⅓ cup)
1.5 oz Hershey’s cocoa (½ cup) – I think they used natural
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
4 ounces butter, unsalted, room temperature (1 stick)
3.5 oz granulated sugar (½ cup)
4 oz light brown sugar, packed tightly (½ cup)
2.4 oz Reese’s peanut butter (¼ cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
Filling:
7 ounces Reese’ peanut butter (¾ cup)
3 ounces confectioner’s sugar (around ¾ cup)
2 ounces Reese’s Pieces (about ⅓ cup)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
To make the dough: Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside. Cream the butter, both sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy . Add the vanilla and egg, beating to combine. Blend in the dry ingredients.
To make the filling: Stir the peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in the chopped Reeses’s Pieces. With floured hands, roll into 1 inch diameter balls.
To shape the cookies, break off about 1 tablespoon of chocolate dough, make an indentation with your finger, and place a peanut butter ball inside. Push the dough up and over the ball. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Dip the top of each cookie into extra sugar and flatten slightly. Bake 7 to 9 minutes.
danielle
wow! yummy!!!!! just made them-thank U!
Katrina
I saw the mini Reese's and Hershey's drops at the same time and they were all on sale, I bought a bag of each!
The cookies n cream ones don't do well baked on something, FYI, they turned a funky burned brown color. I might try some on a piece of fudge. The Reese's would be good in/on fudge, too!
Lee
I love my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, it have served me well in almost 20 years of using it at least once or twice a week, hubby loves the results, lol
Ryan
Yummmy! 🙂 I'll definitely have to make those soon.
I have a hand mixer, it's got to be about as old as I am xD
Cheryl
That picture is amazing! I want some now!
Sue
Maybe it would work to put them in a heavy plastic bag and roll over them with a rolling pin? Worth a try, and a low mess!
Louise
We had the mini Reeses PB cups last year. Maybe we were a trial market? It seemed like they were seasonal and disappeared.
I am probably counted in the 80% using hand-held mixers. When I bake, I probably use it as often as my Kitchen-aid stand mixer.
Anna
Sue, I don't know. I may try doing it in the food processor.
Louise, probably not very long. I'm not sure, though.
Katrina, the mini Reese's are a new product and I'm sitting here eating some "straight up" right now. They're awesome. Have you seen the Hershey's drops? Those are good too. I'm going to write about them later.
Katrina
I just bought little mini Reese cups, I wonder if these would be good/fun as little mini size cookies.
Louise
I'll be interested to know the shelf life when you make these cookies, but they may not hang around long enough to know. 🙂 Perhaps Ill try these at the end of my whirlwind Christmas baking.
Sue
These sound and look great. I'm curious about how the Reese's pieces are chopped. I have visions of them popping all over the kitchen while chopping. My first thought is to put them in food processor.
Cupcake Activist
So yummy! I've never tried a Reese's in the middle of a cookie before.
Maggie
Yum! I was going to make the standard Reese's in the middle, but now I'm switching gears!
the blissful baker
what a delightful cookie! i love that there is a nice little surprise when you bite into it.
PlainChicken
YUM! I love anything Reese's!
Anna
Leslie, likewise! P.S. Hope your luggage made it home! I was so happy to look down from the escalator at Austin Airport and see my bag going around on the belt.
Stephanie, I chose the cocoa massage. It was great, but I think I would have liked the facial a lot too.
Leslie M.
I was so there! These look delish and what a great picture! Great meeting you and what a great event!
XO
Leslie
Leslie Loves Veggies!
Stephanie
Wow - this looks so yummy! I'm sure the Reeses adds a great suprise texture inside. p.s. did you get one of their signature 'chocolate facials' while you were at the hotel? 🙂