Recipe: Reeses Pieces Cookies for my Valentine!

Andy and I decided that we didn't want to get each other anything really for Valentine's Day this year, since we're trying to save money and Christmas was a pretty big deal for the both of us. But because it is Valentine's Day, I wanted to do sooomething special for Andy. And I know that he is bringing lunch to work a lot more rather than going out to eat to save money, I figured I'd made him some cookies to bring in his work lunches!

As a way to make these cookies a little different, I used Reeses Pieces instead of chocolate chips, and I also added in a handful of honey-roasted peanuts as well. Andy loves Reeses Pieces, and he usually has a bag on his desk whenever I come over. 

I wanted soft and chewy cookies, and I still haven't perfected a recipe, like the amazing Otis Spunkmeyer cookies we had in the high school student store. However, these ones are pretty good and chewy. I'll keep trying to find the perfect recipe, but for now, I'll share this one with you!

 I based it off this recipe on Martha Stewart's website.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons sour cream
• ~2 cups (about 12 ounces) Reeses Pieces
• ~1 cup of honey-roasted peanuts

 Before doing anything else, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add the vanilla, eggs, and sour cream and lightly mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold in the candies and peanuts. 

Drop by the tablespoonful on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. I forgot to line mine, so some batches stuck more than others, so I'd definitely recommend lining it with a Sil-Pat or parchment paper.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the outside. My oven has terribly uneven heating, so if your oven is like mine, rotate the pan halfway through baking. If the middle is still too soft after the 12 minutes, transfer it to the lower rack for a few minutes while you start the next sheet of cookies. 

Once done, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two, and transfer them to a cookie sheet to cool. As you can see, some of my batches were more done than others, but that's just because I usually am double-tasking when baking and forget to take things out on time.

Wrap them up or put them in a tupperware container, bring them to your significant other, and enjoy!

Hopefully I get some shots of my Valentine's Day outfit, because it's pretty damn cute I must say. 

But for now, Happy Valentine's Day!

Also, two years tomorrow was mine and Andy's first date. We went and saw John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats and UW. But on Valentine's Day, Andy did this.

Best wishes!

-Abby