Magic Middle Cookies


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Magic Middle Cookies

When I was in college, this really eccentric husband-wife team oversaw my dining hall. They looked like a sweet older couple, but he always made really dirty jokes and she would shoot you the evil eye forever if you so much as left a scrap of food on your plate. But they fed me, so I was grateful.

Every now and then, they’d serve the best slice and bake cookies in the universe. No, I’m not exaggerating, so leave me alone. They were really the best. And I’ve hunted them down for years without any luck. It’s so sad!

Magic Middle Cookies

They were rich chocolate cookies, huge ones, with an amazing peanut butter center that reminded me of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Can you wonder at all why these were my idea of perfection? Years later, I learned that this kind of cookie is called a Magic Middle. And while they are magical, they can take a while to make with both the cookie dough and the peanut butter center dough. So I made up a shortcut, a cheat, a whatever. And they taste even better than the labor-intensive ones!

Magic Middle Cookies

Yep, I used cake mix and actual Reese’s cups. I don’t care. I’m brilliant. It saves a ton of time, there’s no butter involved, and I get to have a giant Reese’s in the middle of my cookie. Plus, I added peanut butter chips for extra fun. I have not been able to stop eating these! They’ve been lunch for two days. Don’t even try to tell me I’m not a healthy person!

Magic Middle Cookies

In fact, these are so good that I will probably not be able to make them again because it’s just too dangerous. I took myself on a date to the movies the other day and actually hid these in my purse for snacking. That’s so not me. But it was glorious! All I needed to complete the perfect moment was a Coke Slurpee.

Magic Middle Cookies

I promise you that I never lie about the recipes that I’m really enthusiastic about. This is one of them! If you love peanut butter and chocolate, you must make this. You will never regret it! Just make sure you have a ton of people who want to share around you, or…yep. You’ll eat them all!

Magic Middle Cookies

As usual, this is a super-quick recipe. I have some serious sun worshiping to do this time of year! With sunscreen, no worries. But there’s always time for cookies. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 box devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 box (3.4 oz.) chocolate pudding mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
  • 12 regular-sized Reese’s peanut butter cups

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients and mix thoroughly until a smooth cookie dough forms. Add the peanut butter chips and mix again.

For each cookie, make a flat disc of dough. Put the unwrapped peanut butter cup in the middle and then cover with another flat disc of dough. Pinch the sides together so the entire peanut butter cup is covered in cookie dough.

Place the cookies two inches apart on the baking sheets. Press additional peanut butter chips into the tops of the cookies to make them prettier.

Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

 

 

Mir

I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner. This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker. Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.

This Post Has 17 Comments

  1. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    Wow! These definitely look dangerously delicious, Mir! What a wonderful idea to use cake mix and pudding, such a time saver and I’m sure makes them taste amazing! These look like they would rival your college dessert. Yum!
    Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Chocolate Cookie Butter Crescents & A New Design!My Profile

    1. Mir

      They do, but now I’m in trouble! I can never make these again! Totally not bake to resist.

  2. Mary Frances

    Oh my gosh, you ARE brilliant! They are so thick and fudgy but without falling apart all over the place. Getting cookies big enough to stuff anything in them can be hard, but you aced it. Mir, these are ridiculous and I want them for lunch as well. No shame. At all. Pinning!
    Mary Frances recently posted…Caramel Toffee Chocolate BlondiesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Yay for no shame! And thanks for the pin, Mary Frances!

  3. Trish - Mom On Timeout

    Now this is my kind of cookie! Yum!
    Trish – Mom On Timeout recently posted…Tropical Orange Jello SaladMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Mine too! Thanks, Trish!

  4. Meaghan

    I followed you over from Hit Me With Your Best Shot link party. These look amazing! I LOVE what you can do with a boxed cake mix. I used one in my lemony lemon cupcakes 🙂

    ~Meaghan from DIYfaerie

    1. Mir

      Ooh, I will check those cupcakes out!

  5. Jamie

    I just came across your blog and saw this recipe. I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter so this is the perfect cookie for me! I’m going to have to try this! 🙂
    Jamie recently posted…Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice CreamMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Thanks, Jamie! I swear that if I picked favorites, this recipe would be it! If you like PB and chocolate, you gotta try it!

  6. Jocelyn@Brucrewlife

    I would be all over these relish cookies! Yum! 🙂
    Jocelyn@Brucrewlife recently posted…Time to Sparkle #72My Profile

  7. Jocelyn@Brucrewlife

    Silly autocorrect! I meant delish, not relish! 😉
    Jocelyn@Brucrewlife recently posted…Time to Sparkle #72My Profile

    1. Mir

      Ha! Relish cookies sound kinda gross! These are much better.

  8. lyubomira

    You did a great job with these cookies! They look amazing and I wish I can bake cookies like you! So thick and great looking! Will definitely try them 🙂

    1. Mir

      You can do it! Really, these are not too hard. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

  9. Medha @ Whisk & Shout

    I don’t really understand how you managed to make these happen and make them so pretty (an entire Reese’s fit in these cookies?! You’re a magician), but either way I want them now.
    Medha @ Whisk & Shout recently posted…Healthy Peppermint Crunch TrufflesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      These were crazy easy, Medha. If you have a vegan cake mix you love, you can make it work!

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