Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and mini Reese’s cups; you can’t go wrong with this absolutely tasty cookie recipe!
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies – one epic cookie! When I think of home-baked cookies, I often think about the delicious taste of moist chocolate chip cookies.
There’s simply something about that fresh-baked taste of chocolate chips slightly melted within a delicious cookie.
While chocolate chip cookies are delightful, cookies with peanut butter cups delight my senses a bit deeper. It is my favorite candy, after all!
One of my favorite candies is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, so I figured, why not create this peanut butter cup cookies recipe?
You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how tasty these cookies with miniature peanut butter cup are, and you will soon be whipping this recipe up as a large batch to freeze for future enjoyment.
As I said, I love a normal chocolate chip cookie, but when you mix chocolate and peanut butter together, you have yourself a handheld piece of Heaven, simply a perfect cookie.
With simple ingredients, you will have no time making up a batch of these Peanut Butter Cup Cookies! They come together quickly, and they go down even faster, trust me, you are going to want to try this one.
Some of my other favorite cookie recipes we have on our site include: M&M Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies, S’mores Cookies and Mini Monster Cookies.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With easily available pantry ingredients, these come together easily.
- You can double the recipe to have more to serve now or save for later.
- While peanut butter cups are the candy of choice, you can also use Reese’s Pieces.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar, packed
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Mini Reese’s peanut butter cup
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES:
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the wet ingredients: butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Place the mixture on medium-high speed and whip for 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, fully mixing in the first one before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture a little at a time until fully combined, and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the cut mini reese’s peanut butter cups and chocolate stir. Stir just until distributed.
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Scoop dough into 1-tablespoon portions, I like to use a cookie scoop for this and place them closely on the sheet tray.
- Cover the sheet tray with plastic wrap, place it in the fridge, and chill dough overnight for best results.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Take the cookie dough portions and roll them into balls. Place them on the sheet tray about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes until the cookies are puffed, appear dry on the top, and are very slightly golden brown along the edge. Keep the cookie dough you aren’t working with in the fridge until you need it.
- Immediately press in more cut-up peanut butter cups and chocolate chips for garnish if desired into the tops of the cookies. Let cool for 10 minutes on the sheet tray and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
WHY DO I NEED TO LET MY DOUGH CHILL?
Letting the dough chill is an essential part of some cookie recipes. This helps them not spread as much while they are baking.
When the dough is chilling, the fat solidifies. While they are baking that fat will melt at a slower rate which in turn will help the cookies not spread, resulting in a puffed-up, chewy peanut butter cookie.
DO I HAVE TO USE REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS?
If you do not have them or do not want to use them, you can use Reese’s Pieces in its place. You will want some peanut butter aspect in this cookie.
This is a peanut butter lover cookie after all.
WHAT KIND OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS SHOULD I USE?
Usually, in any form of cookie, we like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips because it gives the perfect balance of sweetness.
You can use any of your favorite chocolate chips or chunks, such as milk chocolate or even dark chocolate. Use what you like or what you have on hand.
I have tried white chocolate peanut butter cups with white chocolate chips and they were amazing as well!
CAN I ADD ANYTHING?
Of course, you can; here are some ideas:
- You can really take it over the top and press a full-sized peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie as soon as they come out of the oven. This would be in place of the chopped-up mini peanut butter cups that go on top.
- Melt some creamy peanut butter in the microwave and drizzle it on top after the cookies have completely cooled. You could use crunchy peanut butter as well.
- Drizzle of melted chocolate.
- Add some sprinkles for a fun touch.
- Add a Hershey’s kiss to the center of each cookie when they come out, and you would have peanut butter cup peanut butter blossoms!
HOW TO STORE:
This peanut butter cookie recipe can be stored in an airtight container or ziptop bag at room temperature where they will keep for up to 5-7 days.
These can also be frozen baked or unbaked. To freeze baked cookies make sure your cookies are fully cooled. Put the baking sheet with cooled-down cookies in your freezer for as long as it takes to freeze solid.
Once frozen, they can be transferred to a freezer bag or freezer container. These should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, take cookies out of the freezer and allow them to get to room temperature. If you want them slightly warmed, from there you’ll reheat the cookies in the oven at 275°F for about 5 minutes.
Alternatively, you can even freeze the dough before baking. This is a wonderful option for a make-ahead treat. Kind of like meal prepping, you can cookie prep too!
To freeze cookie dough, make the dough as instructed in the directions. Then, roll out the cookie dough balls into portions like you would do just before baking.
Place them on a sheet tray, not touching, and place the whole thing into the freezer. Freeze until frozen solid, about three hours.
From here, you can layer them into a freezer container with parchment paper in between. OR, you can pop all the dough balls into a freezer-safe bag and place them in the freezer.
Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then bake according to directions.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Double this recipe to have more on hand or to save for later.
- This can be frozen baked or as dough, see my tips above.
- Use any of your favorite chocolate chips, we like to use semi-sweet.
- If you do not want to use peanut butter cups, you can use Reese’s Pieces instead (you’ll want some peanut butter aspect in the recipe).
- Do not forget to chill your dough, this is an essential part of this recipe to help them not spread while baking.
Looking for that perfect chocolate and peanut butter treat? You have to make my Peanut Butter Cup Cookies!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried these PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 7.6 ounce bag mini reese’s peanut butter cups cut in half, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the wet ingredients: butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Place the mixture on medium-high speed and whip for 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, fully mixing in the first one before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture a little at a time until fully combined, and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the cut mini reese’s peanut butter cups and chocolate stir. Stir just until distributed.
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Scoop dough into 1-tablespoon portions, I like to use a cookie scoop for this and place them closely on the sheet tray.
- Cover the sheet tray with plastic wrap, place it in the fridge, and chill dough overnight for best results.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Take the cookie dough portions and roll them into balls. Place them on the sheet tray about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes until the cookies are puffed, appear dry on the top, and are very slightly golden brown along the edge. Keep the cookie dough you aren’t working with in the fridge until you need it.
- Immediately press in more cut-up peanut butter cups and chocolate chips for garnish if desired into the tops of the cookies. Let cool for 10 minutes on the sheet tray and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Double this recipe to have more on hand or to save for later.
- This can be frozen baked or as dough, see my tips above.
- Use any of your favorite chocolate chips, we like to use semi-sweet.
- If you do not want to use peanut butter cups, you can use Reese’s Pieces instead (you’ll want some peanut butter aspect in the recipe).
- Do not forget to chill your dough, this is an essential part of this recipe to help them not spread while baking.
Nutrition
Originally Posted: 01/31/2019
Updated with new photos and a slight recipe tweak: June 2023
Comments & Reviews
Judy Kvamme says
Do you think an egg substitute like applesauce would work in this recipe?
Dana DeVolk says
I can’t say for sure, I haven’t tried.