Peanut Butter "Snickerdoodles"

I grew up thinking that a snickerdoodle involved an actual Snickers, and a white cookie with cinnamon sugar was called something else. I have been educated, but the name still sticks. These are large peanut butter cookies with your favorite fun size candy bar stuffed in the middle.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 12

Total Time 52

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 24 people

Calories 6764.8 kcal

Equipment

2 Baking Sheets Lined with parchment paper
1 Electric Mixer Stand mixer or hand mixer
1 Large Mixing Bowl For wet ingredients
1 Medium Mixing Bowl For dry ingredients
1 Fork For flattening and cross-hatch pattern

Ingredients

Main

2 cups butter softened
2 cups peanut butter
2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
24 fun size bars chocolate-coated caramel-peanut nougat candy
½ cup white sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
Beat together the butter, peanut butter, 2 cups white sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl, stirring until well mixed and creamy. Mix in the vanilla extract and eggs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix the flour mixture, one cup at a time, into the butter mixture, and stir until you have a smooth dough.
Scoop up 1/4 cup of dough per cookie, and form it into a ball around a fun size candy bar. Set the balls onto a baking sheet at least 6 inches apart, and flatten each ball with a fork in a cross-hatch pattern, making sure the cookie dough is still fully covering the candy bar. Sprinkle each cookie with about 1/2 teaspoon white sugar.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly browned around the edges, 12 to 14 minutes.

Notes

Ensure butter is genuinely softened for a smooth, homogenous dough. To prevent a tough cookie, avoid overmixing once the flour is incorporated; mix just until combined. The recipe's high fat content means these cookies will spread, so stick to the recommended 6-inch spacing on parchment-lined sheets. For a balanced flavor, a small pinch of flaky sea salt sprinkled on top before baking will enhance the peanut butter notes and cut through the sweetness. Watch carefully during baking; remove when edges are set and lightly golden, even if centers appear slightly soft, as they will firm up upon cooling. Over-baking will result in dry cookies. Make sure the candy bar is fully enclosed in dough to prevent caramel leakage and burning during baking.