The Best Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies

One of my absolute favorite flavor combos is peanut butter and Oreo cookies. So when a popular cookie shop released a cookie with both, I knew I had to recreate it. These cookies are super rich and made with black cocoa. They're loaded with peanut butter chips, rolled in Oreo cookie crumbs, and are topped with a silky peanut butter mousse frosting.

INGREDIENTS FOR PEANUT BUTTER OREO COOKIE

Now let's get baking! These cookies are made black cocoa powder, but you can easily order it online if you're not able to find it in stores. Here's your shopping list:

• All-purpose flour

• Black cocoa powder

• Baking soda

• Salt

• Cornstarch

• Granulated + light brown sugar

• Unsalted butter

• Eggs

• Vanilla extract

• Peanut butter chips

• Oreo cookies

MAKING THE PEANUT BUTTER OREO COOKIES

To start these cookies, preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

Next, you'll need to prepare the Oreo crumbs. You can do this a couple of different ways. You can add your Oreo cookies to a food processor and blend until you have cookie crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, add the Oreo cookies to a ziplock-type bag and seal it, being sure to squeeze the air out of the bag. Using a rolling pin or the bottom of a glass, carefully begin to smash the cookies. Do this until the cookies are broken up and you are left with cookie crumbs. Pour the Oreo crumbs in a bowl and set it aside.

MAKING THE DOUGH

Okay-- now it's finally time to make the cookie dough! Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for about a minute until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth. Next, add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cornstarch and mix until the dough forms. Add in the peanut butter chips and mix until just combined.

Once the dough is done, you'll use a medium cookie scoop to form the cookies. These cookies are going to be big-- you'll use two medium scoops per cookie. Grab the bowl of cookie crumbs and your cookie scoop. Scoop the dough, and roll two scoops together into one large cookie dough ball. Roll the dough into the cookie crumbs. Then, place it on the prepared baking sheet. Use your hands to gently press the top of the dough ball just slightly (see picture below for reference). Repeat for the rest of the cookie dough, placing each cookie at least 3-4 inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 16-18 minutes. The centers of the cookies will still be a tiny bit soft, but will firm up as the cookies cool. Once the cookies are out of the oven, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 7-8 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. *Note: the cookies will still be pretty warm, so be sure to use a big spatula to help transfer them carefully.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE FROSTING

You can absolutely make these cookies and skip the frosting. But it is so tasty and easy to make, I highly recommend adding it. To make it, you will only need 5 ingredients! Here's everything you'll need:

• Peanut butter

• Powdered sugar

• Heavy cream

• Unsalted butter

• Salt

MAKING THE MOUSSE FROSTING

This peanut butter mousse frosting is super simple to make. All you need to do is add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whip everything together for about a minute until fluffy and smooth.

To frost the cookies, you can get as fancy or as simple as you want. I frosted the cookies using a piping bag with a metal tip, but you can always just smooth some of the frosting on with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.

To finish them off, you can sprinkle the frosted cookies with some of the leftover cookie crumbs and top each one with a mini Oreo. This is totally optional, but so cute!

TIPS FOR THE BEST COOKIES

♦ Use a cookie scoop. To get this cookie recreation right, these cookies have to be big! So for this recipe, you'll be using a medium cookie scoop, and you'll use two scoops per cookie. It is going to seem like a lot, but it makes the cookies the perfect size.

♦ Allow the cookies to cool completely. If you've never put frosting on a hot cookie before, good! Don't start now. To avoid a big sticky melty mess, allow the cookies to cool completely before adding the peanut butter mousse frosting.

♦ Top the cookies with mini Oreos and cookie crumbs! To get that true cookie shop feel, add some Oreo cookie crumbs and a mini on top of the peanut butter mousse frosting! Because it's face it-- you can never have too much Oreo!