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Easy Caramel Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Easy Caramel Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft peanut butter cookies are wrapped around individual caramel candies and baked until lightly golden. The centers stay tender while the caramel becomes warm, gooey, and irresistibly buttery.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 7 minutes
Servings: 36 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookie Dough
  • 1 cup (226 g) Unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (250 g) Creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup (200 g) Granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (213 g) Packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large Large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups (313 g) All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Filling
  • 36 candies Soft caramel candies, such as individually wrapped caramels or Rolo candies

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Beat the softened butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and creamy.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture, mixing only until combined.
  5. If the dough feels soft, chill it for 20–30 minutes. For easier filling, chill or briefly freeze the caramel candies until firm.
  6. Scoop roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough, flatten it slightly, place one caramel in the center, and completely enclose the candy. Seal the dough carefully.
  7. Arrange the filled cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  8. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned but the centers still look slightly soft.
  9. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Remember that the caramel remains very hot after baking.

Notes

Do not overbake; the centers should look slightly underdone when removed and will firm as they cool. Chilling the caramels makes them easier to wrap and reduces the chance of caramel escaping.