There was this decadent ridiculously good cookie I used get near work when I really wanted to treat myself. It was a Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie, but with a twist. Instead of having a Hershey Kiss in the middle of the cookie, it had a dark chocolate peanut butter cup there. Talk about a game changer. My coworker at the time, Katie, shared the same sentiment for them; we even went as far as naming the cookie "The Baby Jesus Cookie" or just "Baby Jesus" for short. This is because whenever we ate one of these puppies, it was like having a holy experience. The clouds parted and everything. We were known to say such things as "hey, I've got a hankering for a Baby Jesus, want me to getcha one?" or "the guy gave me an extra Baby Jesus on the house!" to each other at work. #typicalworkchitchat

The key to these cookies is to buy, specifically, the Trader Joe's <crack> Peanut Butter Cups. I whole-heartedly believe that these are the BEST store-bought peanut butter cups on the planet. They easily take the gold, in my humble. Costco PB Cups take the silver and Reese's PB Cups take the bronze, in case you were wondering who else placed.

This recipe tastes exactly like those Baby Jesus Cookies I loved. You will not be sorry if you make these. I never am.

Not Your Ordinary Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Recipe adapted from howsweeteats.com
Yield: approximately 48 cookies

Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar (and about 1/2 cup more later for rolling)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Trader Joe's Milk or Dark Peanut Butter Cups or Hershey Kisses (you need 48 total), unwrapped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Add sugars and cream for 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Stir in vanilla.
3. Add flour, baking soda and salt, just mixing until combined, then add in milk.
4. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
5. Roll cookies into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Lay on baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
6. Bake at 375 for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and push candy of choice down into the middle of each cookie. Return to oven and bake for 2 1/2 more minutes. Remove and let cool completely.

Pro Tip: the kisses do just fine baking for those last 2.5 mins, but the pb cups melt too much. Wait to put the pb cups in until the cookies are done baking and come out of the oven. Push them in and leave them be. They will get melty but will definitely need some time to cool/harden.

Dessert Fiend