Get ready to have your taste buds blown away by the Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies—a mash-up of sweet and salty perfection that’s utterly irresistible. Imagine the chewy, melt-in-your-mouth goodness of a classic peanut butter cookie, but then cranked up to eleven with the addition of crunchy, chocolatey, and delightfully crisp Butterfinger candy pieces.
This isn’t just a cookie; it’s a texture sensation: the smooth peanut butter dough cradling those shattered shards of Butterfinger bliss. Seriously, you’ll want to bake these again and again, so bookmark this deliciousness for later! The aroma alone is enough to bring everyone running to the kitchen.
Every bite delivers that signature flaky, crisp-yet-chewy Butterfinger crunch, perfectly balanced by the rich, savory depth of peanut butter. They’re a decadent, playful twist on a timeless classic.
These cookies are the perfect showstopper for your next bake sale, a comforting treat for an afternoon snack, or the ultimate indulgence after a long day.
Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies
Description
Imagine a cookie where the rich, savory depth of classic peanut butter dough meets the iconic "crispety, crunchety, peanut-buttery" texture of a Butterfinger candy bar.
These cookies deliver a delightful contrast, starting with a soft, chewy base that is intensely peanut buttery.
Embedded throughout are generous fragments of the famous candy, which melt slightly during baking to become wonderfully caramelized and gooey, then firm up as they cool to restore their signature brittle crunch.
Every bite is a textural adventure: the tender yield of the cookie gives way to the sugary snap of the Butterfinger pieces. The flavors are a perfect marriage of salty and sweet, balancing the warm, comforting profile of peanut butter with the crisp, toffee-like notes of the candy.
They emerge from the oven golden brown with slightly crisp edges, promising a decadent, crowd-pleasing treat for anyone who loves the unbeatable combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and crunch.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Oven Preparation and Dry Components:
Begin by setting your oven temperature to 350∘ F (175∘C). Prepare your baking surfaces by lining them with baking parchment to facilitate easy removal. In a separate, intermediate bowl, aerate the flour, baking soda, and salt by whisking them together until perfectly uniform.
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Developing the Creamed Base:
In your main mixing bowl, combine the softened butter with both the brown and granulated sugars. Utilize an electric mixer to beat these ingredients vigorously for a few minutes until the blend achieves a noticeably pale color and a fluffy consistency. -
Introducing the Flavor Agents:
Next, fully incorporate the creamy peanut butter into the mixture, ensuring no streaks of pure fat remain. Follow this by introducing the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully absorbed before adding the next. Complete this stage by blending in the vanilla essence. -
Final Dough Assembly:
With the mixer running at the lowest setting, gradually integrate the reserved dry flour mix into the liquid components. Mix only until the flour is just absorbed. Cease mixing immediately once all the dry pockets vanish; excessive agitation will toughen the cookie structure.
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Inclusion of Crunch:
With a wide spatula, gently fold the crushed Butterfinger pieces into the finished dough. Work carefully to disperse the candy evenly so that every cookie bite contains that signature crisp.
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Portioning and Tray Spacing:
Shape the dough into small, rounded mounds using a spoon or scoop. Arrange these mounds on your prepared sheets, ensuring a gap of at least two inches surrounds each one to allow for proper expansion during baking. -
Baking and Doneness:
Place the trays into the heated oven for a duration of 9 to 12 minutes. You know they're ready when the circumference of the cookies turns a faint golden-brown, even if the center appears soft. They will continue to solidify after removal. -
Post-Bake Rest:
After extracting the baking sheets, permit the cookies to stabilize on the warm tray for several minutes. Once set, very carefully shift them to a cooling grate to finish dropping to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 24
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 230kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 12g19%
- Saturated Fat 5g25%
- Cholesterol 25mg9%
- Sodium 150mg7%
- Total Carbohydrate 23g8%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Sugars 17g
- Protein 4g8%
- Calcium 15 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Peanut Butter Butterfinger cookies are a decadent twist on a classic favorite, combining the creamy, salty goodness of peanut butter with the unmistakable, crunchy, chocolate-coated honeycomb bliss of a Butterfinger candy bar. This guide offers essential tips for baking the perfect batch, innovative serving suggestions, creative variations, and crucial storage advice, ensuring your cookies are a consistently delightful treat.
Tips for Baking the Perfect Cookie
Achieving the ideal texture and flavor in these cookies requires attention to a few key details:
Ingredient Temperature is Key: Ensure both your butter and egg are at room temperature. Cold ingredients can result in a tougher, denser cookie.
The Role of Peanut Butter: Natural, oil-separated peanut butter often requires recipe adjustments due to its thinner consistency. The oils can prevent the cookies from setting properly.
Dough Management: Do not overmix the dough once the flour mixture is added. Overmixing develops the gluten, leading to a chewy, less tender cookie.
The Butterfinger Factor: The candy bar needs to be incorporated correctly. Use a food processor or a heavy-duty zipper bag and a rolling pin to crush the Butterfinger bars into coarse, irregular chunks—not a fine powder. Some larger pieces are desirable as they melt slightly and create pockets of caramel-like crunch. Add these crushed pieces at the very end of mixing, gently folding them in to prevent them from breaking down further.
Baking for Texture: Preheat your oven fully and use parchment paper or a silicone mat. This prevents sticking and ensures even baking. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the centers still look slightly soft. The cookies will continue to set on the baking sheet for a few minutes after removal from the oven, which is essential for that perfect soft-chewy center.
Serving Tricks and Presentation
These rich cookies deserve presentation that matches their flavor.
Elevate the Garnish: While they are perfect plain, a simple garnish adds a professional touch.
The Warm Treat: Serve the cookies slightly warm—about 5 minutes out of the oven—for the ultimate gooey texture. Pair them with a tall, ice-cold glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for an incredible cookie sandwich.
Cookie Board Dessert: For entertaining, arrange the cookies on a rustic wooden board alongside other complementary treats. Consider pairing them with salted caramel dipping sauce, mini chocolate chip cookies, and small bowls of crushed pretzels and extra chopped Butterfingers for a DIY ice cream sundae/dessert bar.
Coffee Companion: The rich peanut butter and chocolate-caramel notes pair wonderfully with coffee.
Creative Variations
Beyond the standard recipe, these cookies offer numerous opportunities for inventive twists.
The Chocolate Double-Down: Swap out some of the all-purpose flour for cocoa powder (about 1/4 cup) to create a chocolate peanut butter base. The bitterness of the cocoa provides a wonderful counterpoint to the sweetness of the candy bar.
Spicy Peanut Butter: Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper to the dry ingredients for a subtle, warming heat that complements the peanut flavor.
Nutty Crunch Boost: Incorporate 1/2 cup of lightly toasted, coarsely chopped peanuts along with the crushed Butterfingers for an intensified nutty flavor and extra crunch.
Brown Butter Base: Brown the butter before creaming it with the sugars. This process removes water and caramelizes the milk solids, imparting a deep, nutty, toffee-like complexity to the cookie dough that enhances the flavor of the Butterfinger. Cool the browned butter slightly before using.
Giant Pizookie Style: Press the entire dough batch into a greased 9-inch cast iron skillet. Bake until set and serve warm with multiple scoops of ice cream and extra toppings for a shareable "Pizookie" (pizza cookie).
Storage Guidelines
Proper storage is vital to maintain the cookies’ freshness and texture.
Cooling is Mandatory: Always allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before storing them. Storing warm cookies creates condensation, which leads to a soggy texture and can foster mold growth.
Short-Term Storage (Up to 1 Week): To prevent them from becoming too hard or dry, place a half slice of plain white bread in the container with them.
Freezing Baked Cookies (Up to 3 Months): Thaw them at room temperature or warm them gently in the microwave or a low-temperature oven (300∘F) for a fresh-baked taste.
Freezing Dough (Up to 3 Months): This is ideal for quick, fresh-baked treats.
By following these detailed instructions, from precise baking techniques to imaginative serving concepts and smart storage, you will consistently produce Peanut Butter Butterfinger cookies that are irresistible—crisp at the edges, soft in the middle, and bursting with buttery, peanut, and chocolate-caramel flavor.
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