These Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are a dreamy sweet treat! Soft, chewy cookies with crispy edges and a mini Reese's peanut butter cup on top! This easy recipe is perfect for Christmas, or any occasion.
Whether you're looking for a tasty way to use up leftover Halloween candy or are a year round peanut butter lover, this Reese's peanut butter cup cookies recipe is the perfect choice.
I like to use leftover candy in desserts. My favorites are Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies, Snickers Cookies, and M&M Brownies. They are an easy treat, and well-loved by everyone!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Freezer friendly. Save time by making a double (or triple!) batch of the cookie dough at one time. It freezes well for up to 4 months!
- The perfect consistency. Traditional peanut butter cookies and peanut butter blossoms tend to be crisp and/or crumbly, but not these! Reese's peanut butter cup cookies are soft and chewy.
- An easy homemade food gift. Just about everyone appreciates getting a batch of homemade goodies for the holidays. Wrap them up in a pretty tin or cellophane bag tied with a bow.
For a low carb and gluten free treat with chocolate and peanut butter, make my recipe for Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make this easy cookie recipe, you'll need:
- Creamy peanut butter: To prevent greasy cookies, use a no-stir variety. I recommend Jif or Skippy.
- butter: If you can afford it, I recommend using European butter rather than American-made. It has extra butterfat, which makes the cookies softer and more flavorful.
- white granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- leaveners: You'll need both baking powder and baking soda. If you haven't used them in a while, it's best to test them for freshness before you start baking.
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Reese’s mini cups: You need the little pb cups, because the regular size cups are too large to fit on top of a cookie.
📖 Time-Saving Tip - Testing Baking Soda or Baking Powder for Freshness
This simple little test can save you time and money, because if your leavener is expired, whatever you're baking wont rise in the oven! This test works for baking soda and baking powder:
- Add about ½ teaspoon of baking soda or powder to a small bowl. Stir in an equal amount of an acidic ingredient, like vinegar or citrus juice.
- If the solution doesn't start to bubble immediately, it's time to replace your leavener.
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- peanut butter: For more texture, use crunchy peanut butter. You can use any nut butter as a substitute, but it will obviously affect the flavor of the cookies.
- salted butter: If all you have is unsalted butter, that's fine! Just add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt or kosher salt to the cookie dough.
- eggs: I haven't tested this recipe with egg substitutes, but If you want to try, feel free! For tips and suggestions, read my article on Egg Substitutes for Baking.
- sugar: I recommend using both white and brown sugar. Brown sugar has more moisture than white sugar, which keeps the cookies softer, and it adds a nice molasses flavor
- vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free substitute, use vanilla essence. Any other flavor of extract can be substituted for vanilla. If necessary, you can even omit this ingredient.
- all-purpose flour: To make the peanut butter cup cookies gluten free, substitute with any brand of cup-for-cup gluten free all-purpose flour. Two brands that work well are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- Reese's mini cups: If you can't find the miniature cups, you can use full size Reese's peanut butter cups. You will need to cut each one into four equal sized pieces, then use one piece on each cookie.
Cookie Recipe Variations
- Stuffed: Stuff one mini Reese's cup into the cookie dough ball before baking, for a sweet center surprise.
- M&M peanut butter cookies: Omit the chocolate chips and instead, stir mini M&Ms into the dough.
- Stronger peanut butter flavor: Replace half of the semi-sweet chocolate chips with peanut butter chips.
How to Make Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Use an electric mixer on high speed to cream the butter and peanut butter together.
- Mix in the sugars on medium-high speed until fully combined.
- Thoroughly incorporate the eggs and vanilla.
- Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed, just until barely incorporated.
- Use a mixing spatula to fold in the chocolate chips.
- Arrange peanut butter cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball, then top each with a Reese's mini peanut butter cup.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Liz's Tips and Recipe Notes
- To make light brown sugar from white sugar, stir 1 tablespoon of molasses into 1 cup of white sugar.
- To avoid bits of egg shell in your cookie dough, crack the eggs in a separate bowl first.
- When incorporating the flour, have the mixer running on low speed and avoid over mixing. It's okay if there are a few tiny streaks of flour.
- Save money by taking advantage of pre and post holiday candy sales!
- Use a scoop to portion the dough. This ensures even baking, because the dough balls are all the same size.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Freezing unbaked cookie dough: You can freeze the dough for up to 4 months. For easier thawing and baking, portion the dough into balls, then freeze them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Or, use these cookie dough freezing trays.
For helpful tips, check out my post, How to Freeze Cookie Dough.
If you love nibbling on raw cookie dough, try this edible sugar cookie dough recipe. It's completely safe to eat!
Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Recipe FAQ
One way to make cookies chewier is to substitute up to one-third of the all-purpose flour in a cookie recipe with bread flour. For
It may be slightly drier than other cookie doughs, but your peanut butter cookie dough shouldn't be overly dry. If it is, you likely overmixed your dough.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter use a no-stir variety
- ¾ cup salted butter softened *see Notes for unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup Reese’s mini peanut butter cups or cut regular size pb cups into 4 pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using an electric hand mixer and large mixing bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the peanut butter and butter on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes, until creamy and smooth.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix again to fully incorporate.
- Add white and brown sugars and continue mixing until the dough is smooth.
- In a small bowl, measure flour, baking powder, and baking soda; whisk to combine. Add the mixture to the bowl of dough. Mix on low speed until flour is just combined. *Avoid over mixing, which can cause cookies to be dry and crumbly.
- Use a stirring spatula or spoon to gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each one. Use the palm of your hand to gently press down and flatten each cookie.
- Add a Reese’s mini cup to the center top of each cookie. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the top of the cookies is light golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. To help keep cookies soft and chewy, place a piece of bread in the container.
- Unbaked cookie dough may be frozen for up to 4 months, stored in a freezer-safe container. For easier thawing and baking, portion the dough into balls before freezing.
- Stuffed: Stuff one mini Reese's cup into the cookie dough ball before baking, for a sweet center surprise.
- M&M peanut butter cookies: Sprinkle mini M&MS on top before baking!
- More peanut butter flavor! In addition to semi-sweet chocolate chips, use peanut butter chips as well.
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