Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

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Peanut Butter Cup Cookies take Reese’s to the next level! This iconic candy is surrounded by a yummy, soft and chewy peanut butter cookie creating a mouth watering treat that everyone loves.

Is there any candy better than a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup??? The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is divine! If you love chocolate and peanut butter, you must make my Peanut Butter Blossoms, No Bake Cookies, and Soft & Chewy Monster Cookies.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Aren’t these cookies the cutest?! They yummy too and look so cute on a cookie platter, especially for the holidays. They’re also just a fun way to use up any leftover Reese’s you have from holidays like Halloween or Easter.

Ingredients for Reese’s Cookies:

Peanut Butter Cups– Get the MINI Reese’s. Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups should work too. If you’re feeling adventurous try out the White Chocolate Reese’s!
Butter– I always use salted because that’s what I keep on hand. (If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 more tsp. salt.) The butter should be softened but not too soft. Usually 20 minutes on the counter does the trick.
Peanut Butter– JIF or Skippy works best in this recipe. Use another type of nut butter if one has peanut allergies.
Granulated Sugar– This type of sugar makes cookies tender with crisp edges.
Brown Sugar– This type of sugar is granulated sugar with molasses. It adds more flavor as well as moisture, making the cookies chewy. Brown sugar is acidic so it also reacts with the baking soda.
Egg– Eggs play an important role in the structure of a cookie. They help bind the ingredients together and the moisture and protein help create a chewy texture.
Vanilla Extract– For best flavor use pure vanilla extract.
Milk– Just a little bit of milk is often used in protein cookies to add a little more moisture.
All-Purpose Flour– This is the best kind of flour for making cookies resulting in a tender chewy texture.
Salt– Salt is important in cookies because it helps enhance the flavors of other ingredients. The salted butter and peanut butter contribute to the amount of salt in the dough as well.
Baking Soda– This type of leavening agent is used in this recipe because it reacts with the brown sugar and gives rise to the dough resulting in a chew cookie.

Ingredients on a marble surface- vanilla, sugar, egg, milk, butter, chocolates, peanut butter, flour, and baking soda.

How to make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies:

Time needed: 30 minutes

Prep
Preheat oven to 375°F (350°F if using a dark pan).
Cream the butter
Cream butter, sugars, and peanut butter together for 2 minutes on medium speed or until lighter in color and fluffy.
Add liquids
Mix in the egg, vanilla, and milk until cominbed. Scrape down sides as needed.
Add dry ingredients
Add the flour, salt and soda and mix until combined.
Scoop
Using a small trigger cookie scoop (2 teaspoons), drop cookie dough into the wells of a mini muffin pan.
Bake
Bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately press a peanut butter cup into each cookie. Let cookies cool in pan for about 10 minutes before removing from pan (use a table knife to gently pop the cookies out).

Top view of many Peanut Butter Cup Cookies pressed close to each other.

FAQs

Cookies don’t look done. Should I cook them longer?

NO! It’s important to only cook the cookies for 7-8 minutes. Since you have to leave them in the hot pan while the chocolate firms back up, the cookie will continue to cook.

Can I use a different kind of candy?

Sure! That sounds awesome! I bet mini Snickers or Milk Ways would be amazing in this cookie! A great way to use up left over candy, take it up a notch, and share with others!

Stacked peanut butter cookies with a Reese's Cup inside with a few cut in half.

TOOLS USED TO MAKE THESE COOKIES:

Mini Muffing Pan– This is the same brand of muffin pan pictures but has twice the wells! Get two and you can bake all the cookies at once! After years of baking I prefer lighter colored pans and have my sights on this one.
Kitchen Aid Mixer– This is so handy to have in the kitchen. I use it for cookies, cakes, frosting, bread, whipped cream… LOVE IT!
Small Trigger Scoop– This small trigger scoop portions out 2 teaspoons of the ganache. It makes the perfect size truffles.