Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies
Back in 1999, when I was 10 years old, I went to the movie theatre to see the highly anticipated film The Parent Trap. If you’re not familiar, know that its plot is far-fetched, but entertaining: a set of twins is separated at birth by their newly divorced parents. One twin, Hallie, is raised by their father in California, while the other twin, Annie, is raised by their mother in London (implausible/terrible judgement on part of the parents, my 35 year old self now recognizes). In any case, the girls are fortuitously reunited at summer camp, where they quickly realize that they are long lost twin sisters and devise a plot to get their parents back together. Hilarity and mischief ensues.
The Parent Trap starred Lindsay Lohan, who played both twins in a twist of utterly advanced, mind-blowing cinematic magic (at least for the 90s). I thought it was silly that they hired one actress to play two roles instead of hiring actual twins (I was an actual twin!). Having said this, if only one girl could play Hallie/Annie, I wished I had auditioned for the role — after all, the movie made Lindsay Lohan the it-girl of the moment. I loved the movie, and it quickly joined ranks with Matilda and The Sandlot in terms of my childhood favorites (nostalgic sigh).
What does all this have to do with a cookie recipe, you may be wondering? Before Hallie and Annie realize they have the same birthday (October 11, FYI) they discover that they both have a decidedly unusual favorite snack, which can only mean that they’re long-lost-sisters: Oreos dipped in peanut butter.
If you’re not American, you may be raising your eyebrows at this flavor combination. I however am decidedly American (many years in Rome or not) and the idea of working this Hallie-Annie-snack-combo into a dessert piqued my interest after a nostalgic viewing of The Parent Trap on Disney+ (you can also see it on Prime, just FYI). After all: chocolate and peanut butter are flavor soulmates. The pleasant saltiness of the peanut butter would probably balance the sweetness of the Oreo cream well. Hallie and Annie were very likely on to something. And so, in a flash forward from 1999 to 2024: I give you Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies, an a homage to my decade-old, fourth grader self.
These cookies are just…the best. They’re thick and chewy — biting into one is very satisfying — and salty-sweet, just as my instincts had told me they would be. They’ve got pools and puddles of melted chocolate, are studded with crunchy-creamy Oreos, and are incredibly addictive. They may scare off any non-Americans at first — I realize they’re pretty indulgent — but my colleagues from Italy, Ghana, Brazil, and Australia were all easily convinced (love at first bite).
My own side note/observation: while these cookies don’t exactly contain Halloween candy, the over-the-top, excessive mix of peanut butter, chocolate, and oreos make them feel kind of seasonal and 31 October-ish. Not that you needed an excuse to make them anyways.
A couple of notes: I used chunky peanut butter here rather than creamy with great results. You can use chocolate chips in place of the chunks if you want. Or, you can also leave out the chocolate chunks if you want the Oreos to shine more. Note that these cookies do not spread too much when baking, so it’s a good idea to flatten them down a little once theyre on the cookie sheet. If you want to have these ready in the freezer: form the dough into cookies, and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Let the dough freeze until solid, and then store in resealable freezer bags. Bake the cookies as usual, noting you may have to add a minute or so of cooking time as the dough will be extra cold. Going back to my first point about these cookies not spreading much — when you put the pre-portioned cookies on the cookie sheet to freeze them, make sure that the balls of dough are already slightly flattened.
Looking for other cookie recipes? Click here.
As you may remember, I am no stranger to putting Oreos into a cookie (see here).
Looking for other peanut butter-y recipes? Click here.
PEANUT BUTTER OREO COOKIES
Very barely adapted from Wood & Spoon. Makes 32-35 cookies.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (180 grams) chunky or creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup (112 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (150 grams) light brown sugar, packed
1/4 (50 grams) cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (155 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 Oreos, roughly chopped
4 ounces (100 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius) and line a sheet pan with a piece of parchment. Set aside.
2.) In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter and butter until combined and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and sugar, and beat for an additional 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, beating on low very briefly to combine. Slowly stir in the Oreo pieces and chocolate chunks.
3.) Use a large cookie scoop to portion out the dough into balls. You can also use a scale to measure out the dough to make sure that all cookies are the same size and bake evenly (I did 35 grams per cookie). Note that the dough is crumbly, so feel free to pack the dough gently with your hands as you form the cookies, and flatten them slightly.
4.) Bake the cookie dough in batches spread out 2” apart on the prepared pan for about 10-11 minutes in your preheated oven. The cookies won’t be browned on the top — this is okay. Allow the cookies to set and cool almost to room temperature before removing from pan. Enjoy!
