The Best Ever Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
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Homemade peanut butter cup cookies are what you want if you’re looking for the ultimate nostalgic treat. Made with the ever so classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, these cookies are soft, melty, and wildly addictive. A big batch only takes 1 hour to make!
Our cookie jars at home are never without these peanut butter cup cookies ever since I found the recipe in my Dad’s recipe box. They’re a good way to use up peanut butter cups from Halloween, and I make batch after batch to give away to family, friends, and neighbors throughout the holidays. These cookies are great year-round, though, perfect as snacks or party treats!
How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
This recipe is one of the easiest cookie recipes I know. Just make the dough, and your oven does the rest. Beginner-friendly yet addictively yummy!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card with a full list of ingredients, measurements, and step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients You Need
- Flour and baking soda: For the structure and rise of the cookies.
- Kosher salt
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups: Freeze the cups for 10 minutes before chopping to keep them from smearing.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ready to bake the perfect pb-studded cookies? Follow the instructions below and your cookies are guaranteed to come out soft and moist, with perfect crisp edges.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Step 2: Make the dough
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat to combine.
Gradually add the flour mixture until the dough is incorporated. Fold in the chopped peanut butter cups.
Step 3: Bake
Drop tablespoon-size balls of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake until light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
Substitutions
- Flour: Substitute with 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend if preferred.
- Brown sugar: Replace with dark brown sugar or regular white sugar.
- Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups: Swap out with Mini Reese’s Pieces or chopped regular peanut butter cups.
Expert Tips
- Cream the butter and sugars for a full 2 to 3 minutes to add air to the dough, resulting in softer, lighter cookies.
- Chill the dough if it feels too soft. Even 20 minutes helps prevent excessive spreading and improves texture.
- Add extra peanut butter cups on top. Press a few pieces into each dough ball before baking for bakery-style presentation.
- Don’t overbake. Pull the cookies when the edges are lightly golden and centers look slightly underdone; they’ll set as they cool.
- Fold in mini chocolate chips, Reese’s Pieces, chopped peanuts, or a swirl of creamy peanut butter for extra richness.
- Optional, but I recommend that you finish with a tiny sprinkle of flaky salt on top of each cookie before baking to balance the sweetness and make the peanut butter flavor pop.
How to Store This Recipe
Store these peanut butter cup cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To keep them extra soft, add a slice of sandwich bread to the container. The cookies will absorb the moisture and stay tender longer.
You can also refrigerate them for up to 1 week or freeze baked cookies for up to 1 month. If freezing raw dough balls, freeze on a baking sheet first, then transfer to a zip-top bag and bake straight from frozen, just add 1 to 2 extra minutes.
How to Serve Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Serve these cookies slightly warm or at room temperature so the peanut butter cups stay soft and melty. They’re perfect with a cold glass of milk, whipped chocolate milk, or a cup of coffee.
For a fun dessert, turn them into ice cream sandwiches. My kids love making some with peppermint ice cream around the holidays (Skeptical that peppermint and peanut butter pair well? Give this a try and you’ll see how they’re actually made for each other). They also pair beautifully with chocolate pudding, caramel sauce, or a scoop of frozen yogurt for a lighter treat.
More Peanut Butter Treats To Try
Easy PB Cup Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup butter 1 stick
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat to combine.
- Gradually add the flour mixture until the dough is incorporated. Fold in the chopped peanut butter cups.
- Drop tablespoon-size balls of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake until light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
Notes
- Cream the butter and sugars for a full 2 to 3 minutes to add air to the dough, resulting in softer, lighter cookies.
- Chill the dough if it feels too soft. Even 20 minutes helps prevent excessive spreading and improves texture.
- Add extra peanut butter cups on top. Press a few pieces into each dough ball before baking for bakery-style presentation.
- Don’t overbake. Pull the cookies when the edges are lightly golden and centers look slightly underdone; they’ll set as they cool.
- Fold in mini chocolate chips, Reese’s Pieces, chopped peanuts, or a swirl of creamy peanut butter for extra richness.
- Optional, but I recommend that you finish with a tiny sprinkle of flaky salt on top of each cookie before baking to balance the sweetness and make the peanut butter flavor pop.
