Inspired by the big fat peanut butter chunk cookies sold at Goofy’s Candy Company in Downtown Disney (the same place that sells German Chocolate Chip Cookies), I decided to beat the post-Spring Break blues by baking a batch of my own giant peanut butter cookies.
The challenge was the peanut butter chunks. Instead of chips, the cookies had big cubes of soft, creamy, peanut butter in candy form. Thinking back to some experiments I'd done in the past, I came up with a clone.
Homemade Peanut Butter Chunks
To make peanut butter chunks, I used the same method I used a few years ago for making peanut butter ribbons. You mix peanut butter chips, peanut butter and butter, then you melt them and pour them into a little foil mold like this.
When they’ve set, you cut them into pieces.
Rather than dump the whole lot into the cookie dough, I poked each one into the already-scooped dough.
Candy Mold
Since posting this, I've acquired a candy mold and now use the plastic mold rather than the little foil rectangle. I believe I found the candy mold at Hobby Lobby. It's not a very good one, unfortunately, as it broke. Looks like Amazon has some better molds.
But Back to the Cookies
You can make these giant peanut butter cookies with or without the peanut butter chunks. The recipe halves and even quarters well if you just want to try a small batch.
Super Small Batch Giant Peanut Butter Cookies
- 56 grams softened butter
- 56 grams brown sugar
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 82 grams of peanut butter
- 24 grams of beaten egg
- Splash of vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon each of baking soda and baking powder
- 83 grams of all-purpose flour
- handful of chunks or chips
Put all ingredients except for flour and chips in a bowl. With an electric mixer, beat just until blended. Stir in the flour and the chips. Shape into 6 mounds and chill the mounds for at least an hour. To bake, you have options. I like baking at 400 for 5 minutes then reducing the heat to 350 and doing another 5 to 7. You can also bake at 375 for 12 minutes (or so). Or bake with a convection oven.
More Recipes Involving Chunks of Things
Recipe
Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Chunks:
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter chips Reese's (70 grams)****
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter I used Skippy Natural
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter (21 grams)
Cookie Dough:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (230 grams)
- 1 cup tightly packed brown sugar (230 gams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups chunky or smooth peanut butter (330 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ⅔ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (330 grams)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Make the peanut butter chunks first. Mix the peanut butter chips, peanut butter and butter in a small bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. If chips aren’t melted, heat for another 30 seconds.
- Make a small 2x5(ish) mold with foil (see photo). Pour the peanut butter mixture into the little mold and chill it for about a half hour or until firm. Unmold the peanut butter log and cut into chunks.
- Proceed with the cookie dough. Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer. Beat in peanut butter, then baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs one at a time, beating on a lower speed, then beat in vanilla. By hand or using lowest speed of mixer, Stir in the flour. When flour is mixed in, stir in chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips.
- Chill the dough for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using slightly less than a quarter cup measure, scoop up balls of dough and arrange on cookie sheet a few inches apart. Stick peanut butter chunks into the already-scooped dough.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until set and brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on pan for about 10 minutes to set. Remove from pan and set on a rack to finish cooling.
- These cookies are best when completely cool.
Stephanie says
I was actually looking all over the entire internet for those chunks, but apparently Disney has a dang patent on them or something. My husband and I both love the Minnie's Bake Shop cookies that have the large, flat, button-like chunks of peanut butter in them. We get them at Disneyland, but I am sure Florida has about the same thing. There's one shop in Critter Country across from Splash Mountain that always has them, but otherwise even in the resort the all-PB ones are rare. I'm definitely trying your chunk recipe ASAP, since the kind Minnie uses must be her special recipe.
anickh says
i made these last night, and then blogged about it!!!
anickh says
Ive always been crazy about the giant cookies that they sell at disney world... especially their peanut butter chunk cookies. so i asked the bakery guy where they get their cookies shipped from, and he said that theyre Selmas cookies. so i started ordering selmas cookies online and, yes theyre the same, but obviously i like fresh better than shipped cookies. Is this the selmas cookie that youre replicating or a different one (cuz it looks just the same?????)
Suzen says
I made these today, and they are sooooo good. Turned out exactly like the picture. Thanks for the recipe!
karen says
I made these today, they are outrageously yummy. I love the peanut butter cubes, thinking about what else to put them in...
Thanks for another great idea!
melissa says
Oh my gosh, these sound amazing!!! I love the way you make the peanut butter chunks. 🙂
Anna says
Louise, I didn't bother trying without the butter. The butter adds creaminess and dilutes the sweetness of the chips.
Nat, my goal was to make candy-like chunks and the candy adds firmness and a little sweetness which is what I was going for. To make chunks peanut butter sans chips, you would need to add something to the peanut butter to keep it from baking into the cookie. Here's an example of a cookie I made years ago where I mixed peanut butter with powdered sugar and wrapped cookie dough around it. I just mixed powdered sugar with peanut butter and the peanut butter did not bake into the dough.
https://www.cookiemadness.net/2006/04/easy-double-peanut-butter-cookies/
I've also mixed peanut butter with a little light (not robust or kalamata) olive oil and swirled it gently through the top of brownie batter. The extra oil added to the peanut butter helped keep it from cracking and drying out.
Rodzilla's suggestion of using one of the fancy peanut butters is a good one too. I may have to buy some PB&Co just to test, but I'm guessing the extra oil helps keep it from drying out as in the case I just cited above.
Rodzilla says
The peanut butter chunks are a great idea! I may experiment with just using a grainier peanut butter. I've found that some of the PB&Co flavors like might maple and white chocolate wonderful seem to stay in chunks when you spoon them out.
nat says
Is there a way to substitute the pb chips with just peanut butter for the chunks?
Katrina says
I just made pb/chocolate cookie bars today. These cookies look divine. I echo everyone else--love the pb chunk idea. I just might have to try them soon. Love the chunky look to the cookies too-just the right thickness.
Martha says
Oh my gosh. I'm currently visiting my Mom who is a peanut butter cup lover. I may need to make these for her birthday next week.
HeartofGlass (Chew the fat) says
Oh. my. goodness. The cookies as well as the chips look fantastic! Or should I say, the cookies underneath the chips.
What an amazing idea! I bet you could make different-flavored peanut butter 'mega-chips' using cinnamon chips with the peanut butter, too!
Anna says
Hannah, the texture is firm, soft on the inside and crumbly. The cookies softened somewhat overnight when kept in a sealed container.
Hannah at FleurDeLicious says
Goodness gracious. PB chips are pretty much my favorite kind of chips...these are like gigantic chips. I want these for dinner. How was the texture of the cookies?
andi winslow says
I love peanut butter, these look yummy. I may have to try these out. Thanks for the inform on baking them. andi
holly says
YUM!!! I want some of these SOOON;)
Michelle says
These look wonderful! What a neat idea to make your own peanut butter chunks. I also like how you made BIG cookies...those are the best!
Darlene says
Have mercy!
Shelley says
Looks yummy! Peanut butter and chocolate are such a classic combination you just can't go wrong.
Paula B. says
Oh boy, just made chocolate cookies but was really craving p.b. cookies, will definitely make these this weekend! Double yum!
Sue says
Those look totally wonderful!
Kenni says
I would just eat the chunks of peanut butter by themselves with a nice glass of milk. These cookies are making me crave peanut butter, they look so yummy!
Nom! says
These looks massive I want some!!
Mackenzie@The Caramel Cookie says
Holy yum! These look awesome!
Adam says
I'm trying to hold back tears right now.....
Gloria says
Yum! I wish I could eat one of those right now...I love pb and chocolate...Did you ever think of cutting up Reeses and putting them into a cookie? Wonder if the chocolate would just melt..or maybe you have a post I have not seen on this subject!
Greg says
Melty chocolate and gooey peanut butter? Sounds horrible.:) If you want I can send you my address and I will take them off your hands. (Seriously, great stuff.)
Anonymous says
This is the greatest idea ever!! The best thing to happen to a peanut butter cookie since, well, peanut butter!!!
Louise says
Just out of curiosity, did you ever try making the peanut butter chunks without the added butter?
karen says
They look wonderful! I love those peanut butter chunks. I'm even tempted to make them without the chocolate (gasp! what's wrong with me today?)
Candace says
I have to make different cookies today but now I'm dying to try the peanut butter chunks in the Sarabeth's double chocolate recipe...
Caroline says
Oh I'm so loving the recipe for peanut butter chunks! Those would be great in just about anything!
Lisa Ernst says
I love your recipe for peanut butter chunks! This looks like a fun cookie to try sometime.