Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
In these peanut butter cup cookies, mini peanut butter cups are pressed into soft and chewy peanut butter cookies. These cookies are not lacking in peanut butter flavor, that’s for sure!
There’s peanut butter in every bite of these cookies. Creamy peanut butter flavors the cookie dough, and a mini peanut butter cup is pressed into the center of each cookie while it’s still warm.
The cookies are essentially peanut butter blossoms, but taken up a notch.
The hardest part of this recipe is taking the time to unwrap each individual mini peanut butter cup. You’ll need 24 mini peanut butter cups for this recipe — whatever is left over can be your reward for all that unwrapping!
Make a batch of these mini peanut butter cup cookies for family gatherings, after-school snacking, or cookie exchanges!
Recipe Ingredients
Making peanut butter cookies with Reese’s cups is quick and easy, and the ingredients are ones you likely keep on hand. Let’s quickly review what you’ll need to make the recipe:
- Peanut butter: Make sure to use a no-stir creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Avoid using natural peanut butters where the oil separates from the peanut butter, otherwise the cookies will spread too much and turn out greasy.
- Peanut butter cups: I used miniature peanut butter cups for this recipe because they’re the perfect size.
- Sugar: I used a mixture of granulated sugar and brown sugar in the cookie dough. Brown sugar adds flavor to the cookies and also keeps them moist. If desired, you can roll the cookie dough balls in additional granulated sugar before baking.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter that’s been softened to room temperature.
- Egg: You’ll need just one egg for this recipe. It should also be brought to room temperature before adding it to the cookie dough.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
This is a straightforward recipe that can be made at a moment’s notice. The cookie dough doesn’t need to be chilled prior to baking, which is ideal for those times when you need to prep a batch of cookies fast!
Here’s an overview of how to make them:
- Prep the baking sheets: I recommend lining two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350ºF (180°C) as well.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In another large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), beat the butter and sugars together until well combined. Then, add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Finish the cookie dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
- Form the cookie dough balls: I like to do this using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop. If desired, you can coat each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar for added texture and sweetness.
- Bake: Once you’ve coated the cookie dough in sugar, bake the cookies just until the tops are set.
- Add the peanut butter cups: Gently press a mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie. You’ll want to do this as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, while they’re still warm.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. You will also need to chill the cookies in the fridge to finish hardening the chocolate of the peanut butter cups.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most likely, yes. However, you’ll want to use a nut or seed butter that’s a no-stir variety. Natural nut butters (i.e. just nuts and salt) often result in greasy cookies.
I suggest buying mini peanut butter cups for best results. If you can’t find Reese’s brand miniature peanut butter cups at your local grocery store, another brand will work just as well. For example, I know that Trader Joe’s carries mini peanut butter cups coated in both dark and milk chocolate.
I don’t recommend adding mix-ins to this particular cookie recipe. You want the mini peanut butter cup to be the star of the show!
Nope! You may shape the cookie dough balls and bake them right away without rolling them in additional sugar.
Storage Instructions
Store the cookies in an airtight container on your counter for up to one week. Or, freeze the baked cookies — peanut butter cups and all! —for up to 3 months.
You can freeze the raw cookie dough balls as well, but I recommend waiting to roll them in sugar until you’re ready to bake them.
Baking Tips
- Use a no-stir creamy peanut butter when making the cookie dough. That will result in the softest, chewiest cookies!
- Be sure to press the mini peanut butter cups into the peanut butter cookies as soon as they’re taken from the oven. The chocolate coating will melt, but that’s what you want. It helps to secure the peanut butter cup to the cookie and makes for easier eating.
- After the cookies have cooled completely, make sure to chill them in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes. This will help the peanut butter cups firm back up and hold their shape at room temperature.
Recipe Video
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled (190 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (115 grams)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (190 grams)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional: ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookies (50 grams)
- 24 miniature peanut butter cups unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix together for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined.
- Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Place the ¼ cup (50 grams) of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough, roll into a ball, and coat in the granulated sugar. Place each ball of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set.
- Remove from the oven and gently press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, transfer to the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the chocolate in the peanut butter cups to fully harden.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
