Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Americans have been putting peanut butter and chocolate together since the 1920s, when the Reese Candy Company figured out what mothers already knew: children will do almost anything for that combination. These cookies take the relationship further. A soft, slightly crumbly peanut butter cookie forms a cup, and while it's still warm from the oven, you press a chocolate peanut butter cup into its center. The heat softens the chocolate just enough to meld with the cookie. Two treats become one.

The mini muffin tin is the secret here. It shapes the dough into perfect little vessels without any fussing or rolling. You scoop, you bake, you press. That's it. I've watched nervous first-time bakers produce flawless batches because the technique forgives almost everything.

These cookies travel well, stack without sticking, and freeze beautifully. Make a double batch in November. By December, you'll understand why. They vanish from holiday cookie exchanges before anything else gets touched.