Peanut Butter Cup Tarts

Two ingredients. That’s all it takes to make these peanut butter cup tarts that look like you spent hours in the kitchen. Quartered refrigerated cookie dough goes into mini muffin cups, puffs up in the oven, and then you press a cold peanut butter cup straight into the center. The hot dough deflates around the candy, forming a tart shell while the chocolate melts into a glossy topping.

The real secret? Refrigerate the peanut butter cups first. Cold candy holds its shape when it hits the hot cookie, giving you that clean tart look instead of a melted mess.

Pro Tips

• Pull the pan the moment the cookie barely looks done. Overbaking makes the dough too crisp to mold around the candy.
• Push the peanut butter cup in immediately after removing from the oven. Even 30 seconds of cooling makes the dough too stiff to form the shell.
• Use a butter knife or offset spatula to pop the tarts out. They release cleanly once the chocolate has fully set.
• Wait until the chocolate loses its shine before removing from the pan. That matte finish means it’s set.

Variations

• Use peanut butter cookie dough for a double peanut butter punch.
• Try fudge cookie dough with dark chocolate peanut butter cups for a richer, more intense version.
• Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top right after pressing in the candy for a sweet-salty contrast.