These red velvet cookies have a tasty surprise inside! They're not just flavored with cocoa and white chocolate chips, there's peanut butter as well! This cookie recipe is so easy to make and taste like Reese's peanut butter cups. You can get fancy and turn them into a cookie cake which is perfect for special occasions (like Valentine's Day)! The cookie cake is layered with cream cheese frosting and it is absolutely delicious!

How to Make Peanut Butter Red Velvet Cookies

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Red Velvet Cookies:

Unsalted butter
Peanut butter
Granulated sugar
Egg
Vanilla extract
Red gel food dye
Cocoa powder
All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Salt
Mini white chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cream cheese
Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract

Equipment:

Baking sheet
Mixing bowls
Stand mixer with paddle attachment, wooden spoon, or hand mixer
Measuring spoons
Wh i sk
Kitchen scale (recommended) or measuring cups
Parchment paper
Cooling rack
Spatula

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Before you start, you'll want to take out the butter and egg to let them adjust to room temperature.
When ready, cream together the softened butter, peanut butter, and sugar until it's light and fluffy (about 3 minutes of mixing).
Mix in the egg, vanilla, and red dye until they're combined very well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Then, gradually mix them into the wet ingredients until only a couple of flour streaks are visible.
Finally, stir in the white chocolate chips!

If you're making cookies:

Roll the dough into 1-2 inch balls and space them out on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Top them with mini white chocolate chips (optional).
Bake the cookies at 350°F for 10-13 minutes. They’re done when the centers are slightly cracked and edges are firm.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Weigh four 180g dough balls and flatten them into even circles ½ inch tall on baking sheets. These will bake to be ~6 inches in diameter. There should be enough dough left for ~4 small cookies, or you can make a heart shaped cookie like I did below! Alternatively, you can evenly distribute all the dough into 4 balls and flatten them into ½ inch tall circles on baking sheets. These will be slightly larger than 6 inches wide.
Sprinkle the tops with mini white chocolate chips (optional).
Bake the giant cookies at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. They’re done when the centers are slightly cracked and edges are firm.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets until they're firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
While they're cooling, make the cream cheese frosting by mixing together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Layer completely cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container with half of a piece of bread (or smaller). The cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread and stay soft longer.
The cookie cake will need to be stored in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese frosting.
Both the cookies & cookie cake can also be stored in the freezer.