Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peanut Butter Cups, Sea Salt and Nuts

This recipe yields bakery-style, super-chunky cookies. I like using butter-toffee cashews for an extra layer of flavor, but you can substitute honey-roasted almonds, salted roasted peanuts, walnuts, or any nut you prefer. Keep the nuts roughly chopped so you get a mix of large pieces, medium pieces and some finer bits for texture. Just before baking, sprinkle each mound of dough with a few large sea salt flakes — they enhance flavor and add a beautiful finish.

Add these salted Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Cookies to your baking rotation; they’re easy to make and keep well when stored properly.

• Peanut butter — Use a simple peanut butter that contains only peanuts (or peanuts and salt). Creamy or chunky will work; creamy is slightly preferred since the recipe already has many chunky mix-ins.
• Mini peanut butter cups — Use mini peanut butter cups or chop regular ones into bite-size pieces so they distribute evenly in the dough.
• Chocolate — Semi-sweet, dark or milk chocolate chips, mini chips, or chopped chocolate bars all work. Chopping a bar gives interesting shards and varied texture.
• Sugars — Both packed brown sugar and granulated sugar for balanced sweetness and chew.
• Butter — Salted or unsalted, softened to room temperature. Butter gives richness and a tender crumb.
• Eggs — Large eggs to bind and add moisture.
• Vanilla extract — For flavor depth; you can substitute part with hazelnut extract if you like a nuttier note.
• All-purpose flour — The structure of the cookie dough. Measure carefully.
• Baking soda — For lift and even browning.
• Nuts — I used butter-toffee cashews; alternatives include honey-roasted almonds, salted peanuts, or walnuts. Rough chop to leave some larger pieces.
• Flaky sea salt — Large flakes such as Maldon or fleur de sel, sprinkled on top before baking. Do not substitute with fine table salt.

Make the dough

• Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla until creamy and cohesive.
• Add the eggs and beat until incorporated. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
• Fold in the mini peanut butter cups, chocolate chips or chunks, and the roughly chopped nuts with a rubber spatula so the mix-ins distribute evenly.

Chill the dough

• Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 12 to 24 hours. Chilling improves flavor and texture by allowing the flour to hydrate and the flavors to meld.
• Pro tip: If you prefer, portion the dough before chilling. Cold dough is firmer and harder to scoop, so portioning first makes baking easier.

Portion and bake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the center.
• Scoop about 2–3 tablespoons of dough per cookie (adjust size to preference) and place on an ungreased sheet pan, spacing pieces about 1″ apart. Press lightly to flatten each mound.
• Sprinkle large flakes of sea salt over each cookie mound.
• Bake for roughly 12 minutes, or until edges are golden and centers are set but still soft. Work in batches if needed.
• Allow cookies to rest on the sheet pan for 2–3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storage

• Store cooled cookies in a cookie tin at room temperature for up to one week. Tins tend to keep cookies crisper than plastic containers.
• To freeze baked cookies, place in an airtight freezer-safe bag for up to three months and thaw at room temperature before serving.

Why chill the cookie dough?

Chilling for 12–24 hours allows the flour to hydrate and the flavors to develop, producing better texture and a cooked, deeper flavor. It also helps the dough brown more evenly.

How long will these cookies keep?

At room temperature in a tin, they stay fresh about one week. You can freeze baked cookies for up to three months.

Can I freeze the raw dough?

Yes. Portion the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid, then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes to the baking time.