Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are wildly delicious! With creamy peanut butter, a touch of salt and melting chocolate in every bite, you better make a double batch!*Makes about 2½-dozen cookies / about 2 cookies per serving
Set oven and prepare pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F, adjust two racks towards the center, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Prepare candies. Unwrap the (30) mini peanut butter cups and set aside.
Make the batter. Add the sugar and egg whites to a medium-sized mixing bowl and use a fork to blend the two together. Add the peanut butter and stir until the mixture is very smooth. (An electric mixer might be easiest if the peanut butter is lumpy.)
Shape and assemble. Use a 1-inch cookie scoop (or a teaspoon), to add dollops of dough, a few inches apart, on one of the parchment-lined baking sheets. Place one of the peanut butter cups on top of each one. Now, using the same 1-inch cookie scoop (or a teaspoon), add another dollop of the dough on top of the peanut butter cup.Pick up each bundle and gently roll it between your hands, just until the sides of dough seal themselves and the peanut butter cup is totally hidden. Try to keep track of the peanut butter cup, so that you know when you place the ball down on the baking sheet, either the top or bottom is up -- the candy should not be sideways! Continue until both baking sheets are filled.
Salt and bake. Sprinkle each one with the coarse sea salt and then bake in the preheated 350°F oven for approximately 12 minutes, just until the cookies have flattened out and no longer look wet.
Cool. Let them cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes.If you don't eat them right away, once they have completely cooled, you can store them in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark place for a few days. (They also freeze very well.)