Buckeye Cookies with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

Buckeye Cookies

These are rich, fudgy dark chocolate cookies packed with chocolate chunks and finished with a creamy peanut butter frosting and a silky chocolate ganache. Bakery style on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle, and honestly not difficult to make at all.

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I brought a batch to a family dinner last month and the plate was wiped clean before the main course even reached the table. My youngest asked for them again the next morning. I said no, but I understood the request completely.

Buckeye Cookies

Here is the whole picture before you measure a single thing.

There is no chilling time for this dough. Mix, scoop, and bake whenever you are ready.

Why you’ll love these buckeye cookies

Chocolate and peanut butter is the kind of pairing that never needs a hard sell. These cookies lean into it in three layers, and every layer earns its place.

The dough comes together in one bowl with a whisk, so there is no stand mixer to haul out and no pile of dishes waiting at the end. You also do not need to refrigerate the dough, which means you can decide to bake at seven in the evening and still be eating cookies before eight.

Texture is where these really shine. The cookies bake up thin and chewy rather than cakey, so they hold up beautifully under the frosting and the ganache. The creamy peanut butter layer is soft and lightly sweet, and the dark chocolate ganache on top brings a silky finish that balances everything out.

This recipe is adapted from the author’s Ferrero Rocher cookies, which tells you the base dough was built for a serious chocolate lover’s palate. If you enjoy chocolate peanut butter desserts in general, this same flavor combination shows up in cakes, cupcakes, and frozen treats, so there is plenty more to explore once you have these down.

My favorite part is the smell that fills the kitchen while the ganache cools. It is a small thing, but it makes the whole house feel like a bakery for an hour.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This recipe has three parts, and each one has its own short ingredient list. Read through all three before you start so you know exactly what goes where.

Chocolate Cookies

• 113 grams salted butter, melted
• 300 grams light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 180 grams all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 52 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 ounces peanut butter cups, roughly chopped

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 264 grams (1 cup) creamy peanut butter
• 56 grams salted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120 grams powdered sugar, spooned and leveled

Chocolate Ganache

• 113 grams dark chocolate chips
• 120 mL heavy whipping cream

Now the notes that actually matter.

• Weigh your dry ingredients if you can. A digital scale is strongly recommended for the flour and cocoa powder. If you are measuring by volume, fluff the dry ingredients first, then scoop and level. Too much flour is the fastest way to a dry cookie.
• Do not cut the brown sugar in the cookie dough. It drives the chew and the moisture, and reducing it changes the texture of the finished cookie.
• Want a less sweet cookie? Leave the cookie dough alone and reduce the sugar in the peanut butter layer instead. Use dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate in the ganache as well.
• Cocoa powder. Dutch process cocoa is preferred for a deeper color and a smoother chocolate flavor. Any unsweetened cocoa powder will still work.
• Butter. Salted butter is what the recipe calls for, and the salt helps balance the sweetness. Unsalted butter works too, and dairy free butter is an option if you need it.
• Eggs. Use large eggs and let them come to room temperature so they blend evenly into the melted butter and sugar.
• Mix ins. The chopped peanut butter cups are folded right into the dough. Chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, or chopped peanuts all work as swaps, and you can leave the mix ins out entirely for a plain chocolate cookie. The source author prefers Justin’s peanut butter cups because the filling is creamier and less powdery than some other brands.
• Peanut butter for the frosting. Use creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter has not been tested here and would most likely give you a runnier frosting that slides off the cookie.
• Powdered sugar. It sweetens the peanut butter layer and can be reduced slightly if you prefer a less sweet frosting.
• Chocolate for the ganache. Dark chocolate is the best choice. Semi sweet chocolate also works. If you use milk chocolate, reduce the cream by about 1 tablespoon so the ganache still sets.
• Cream. Use heavy whipping cream with a fat content between 36 and 40 percent. This is one ingredient where a swap is not recommended, because a lower fat cream will not set the same way.

Step by Step Instructions

The three components come together in a natural order: make the cookies first, start the ganache so it can cool, then whip up the peanut butter frosting while you wait.

Chocolate Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (177C) convection or 325F (163C) conventional, and line a large cookie sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter with the brown sugar and the egg. Whisk aggressively for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture lightens in color. Do not rush this step, because it builds the structure of the cookie.
3. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dough just until the flour is almost combined.
4. Add the chopped peanut butter cups and keep folding until all the flour is combined and the chocolate is evenly distributed. Stop as soon as it comes together.
5. Scoop the dough into 14 round balls with a 2 ounce cookie scoop. Roll each one smooth with your hands, then place five per pan with plenty of space between them.
6. Bake for about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and bang it on the counter a few times so the cookies flatten a little. Quickly use a biscuit cutter or anything round to scoot the cookies back into a round shape, then return them to the oven for another 6 minutes.
7. Bang the pan on the counter again and scoot the cookies with the biscuit cutter one more time. Let them cool to room temperature before you frost them.

Chocolate Ganache

1. Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Place the cream in a small pot over low to medium heat and warm it gently until it is simmering.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and cover the bowl with a lid or a towel. Let it rest for a few minutes, then mix until it is smooth.
4. Let the ganache cool for 10 to 20 minutes while you make the peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1. Place the peanut butter and butter in a small or medium pot over low to medium heat and whisk until they are completely melted and combined.
2. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and whisk until completely smooth. Keep the heat gentle so the mixture does not overheat.
3. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookies. The batch makes just enough for all 14 cookies.
4. Freeze the frosted cookies for a few minutes before adding the ganache. This is not essential, but it helps the chocolate set faster so it does not run off the edge. I do this every single time now because it keeps the tops looking neat.
5. Spoon the cooled but still runny ganache over the chilled peanut butter frosting, then finish with sea salt flakes and a few extra peanut butter cup chunks.

How to make cookies ahead of time

This dough is very forgiving when you want to work in stages.

• Mix the dough completely, then scoop the balls onto a tray or a plate.
• Freeze them briefly until firm, then move them into an airtight container or bag.
• Keep the dough balls in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.
• Let the dough return to room temperature before baking as directed.

If you would rather do the baking first, you can bake the cookies a day ahead and frost them later. That works especially well when you are prepping for a party, because the frosting and ganache take only a few minutes once the cookies are ready.

How to store buckeye cookies

Give the finished cookies a few hours to set completely before you pack them away. The ganache needs that time to firm up so the layers stay put.

• Room temperature: 2 to 3 days in an airtight container or bag.
• Refrigerator: up to a week.
• Freezer: a few months.

If you stack them, place a sheet of parchment between the layers so the ganache does not stick to the cookie above it.

When you pull them out of the refrigerator, let them sit on the counter for a few minutes before serving, because the peanut butter frosting softens beautifully at room temperature and the texture is much better that way.

Fully set cookies store far better. If the ganache is still tacky when you box them, the layers will slide.

You May Also

If this chocolate and peanut butter combination is your kind of dessert, here are a few more ideas worth adding to your list.

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

A chocolate cake paired with a peanut butter frosting is the layer cake version of the flavor combination you just made. It is a great choice when you want the same taste in a celebration format rather than a cookie.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Cupcakes bring the same idea into single serving form, which is handy for birthday trays and bake sales where you want something easy to hand out.

Moose Tracks Ice Cream Cake

For warmer months, an ice cream cake keeps the chocolate and peanut butter theme going in a cold, sliceable dessert that holds up well in the freezer.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Reese’s Cake

This one doubles down on the peanut butter cups, so it is the natural next step if the chopped cups in these cookies were your favorite bite.

Rate & Review

One reader, kelli, left a comment on 04.05.2024 noting that one cup equals 8 oz. That is a helpful reminder if you are converting measurements by hand instead of using a scale.

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Buckeye Cookie Recipe

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Buckeye Cookies These are rich, fudgy dark chocolate cookies packed with chocolate chunks and finished with a creamy peanut butter frosting and a silky chocolate ganache. Bakery style on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle, and honestly not difficult to make at all.

• Total Time: 1 hour 17 minutes
• Yield: 14 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Chocolate Cookies
113 grams salted butter, melted
300 grams light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
180 grams all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
52 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
4 oz peanut butter cups, roughly chopped

Peanut Butter Frosting
264 grams creamy peanut butter
56 grams salted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
120 grams powdered sugar, spooned and leveled

Chocolate Ganache
113 grams dark chocolate chips
120 mL heavy whipping cream

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Instructions

Chocolate Cookies
1-Preheat the oven to 350F/177C convection (325F/163C: Preheat the oven to 350F/177C convection (325F/163C conventional) and line a large cookie sheet.
2-In a medium bowl, combine the melted: In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter with the brown sugar and egg. Whisk aggressively, for 2-3 minutes, until it lightens in color.
3-Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and use a rubber spatula to fold the dough just until the flour is almost combined.
4-Add the chopped chocolate and fold until: Add the chopped chocolate and fold until all the flour is combined and the chocolate is evenly distributed.
5-Scoop the dough into 14 round balls: Scoop the dough into 14 round balls with a 2 ounce cookie scoop. Roll them so they’re smooth and then place five per pan.
6-Bake for about 6 minutes then remove: Bake for about 6 minutes then remove the pan from the oven and bang it on the counter a few times so the cookies flatten a little. Quickly use a biscuit cutter (or anything round) to scoot the cookies back into a round shape and finish baking for another 6 minutes. Then bang them on the counter and scoot them with the biscuit cutter again. Allow them to cool to room temperature

Chocolate Ganache
7-Place the chocolate chips in a small: Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl and set aside.
8-Place the cream in a small pot: Place the cream in a small pot over medium-low heat and gently heat hit until it’s simmering.
9-Pour the hot cream over the chocolate: Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and cover with a lid or towel. Let it rest for a few minutes and then mix until it’s smooth.
10-Allow the ganache to cool for 10-20: Allow the ganache to cool for 10-20 minutes while you make the peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting
11-Place the peanut butter and butter in: Place the peanut butter and butter in a small or medium pot over medium-low heat and whisk until they’re completely melted and combined.
12-Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and: Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and whisk it together until it’s completely smooth.
13-Spread on top of the cookies: Spread on top of the cookies. I had just enough for the 14 cookies.
14-I like to freeze the cookies with: I like to freeze the cookies with the peanut butter frosting for a few minutes before topping with the chocolate ganache. It’s not essential but it helps the chocolate set quicker without running off the edge.
15-Spoon the cooled-but-still-runny chocolate ganache on top: Spoon the cooled-but-still-runny chocolate ganache on top of the chilled peanut butter frosting and top with some sea salt flakes and some peanut butter cup chunks.

• Prep Time: 35 min
• Cook Time: 12 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 360kcal
• Sugar: 32g
• Sodium: 151mg
• Fat: 20g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 45g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 5g
• Cholesterol: 35mg