Reese’s Quiches
Combine:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine or butter
and beat till light and fluffy, whether by hand or in an electric mixer.
Add:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (you can use chunky at a pinch)
1 large egg (room temp)
1 teaspoon vanilla
blend for several minutes.
Add dry ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt, more if PB is unsalted
and fold in. Batter will be fairly loose. Chill some hours or overnight. Put the bags of PB cups in the fridge too.
To bake: Preheat oven to 350 F.
Bring dough out at the same time you start the oven preheating. I sometimes use this time to unwrap the PB cups (which I put back in the fridge … this is the one thing you want cold). I use my trusty 1” scoop to portion it out. Try for a scant fill (around half the scoop) as that means that you will get more cookies. Seriously, it doesn’t need a lot, and the baking soda will make it puff out.
After all the cups of the pan are filled (or water put in the empties!) I wash my hands and poke my index fingers in the center of each dough ball (a la thumbprint cookies). This will help it cook better, but by all means, don’t worry about making little tart shells.
Bake for six or seven minutes, or until it is starting to get browner on the edges.
While the cookies are baking, make sure all the candy is unwrapped. If the candy is cold, I can easily unwrap 24 in seven minutes. It takes longer if the candy is warm.
When the timer goes off, remove the pans from the oven. The cookies will have puffed. Using the pads of your thumb or fingers, firmly place a peanut butter cup in the middle of each cookie “pillow”. Cookie edges should be even with or above the candy, as much as possible.
Place back in the oven for 45 seconds to one minute. No longer. Remove and cool on racks for some time until the chocolate has set back up again. This will take at least an hour. Do not rush this part.
Makes 4-7 dozen
