Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
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Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are soft and chewy with a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup in the middle. They’re easy to make and melt in your mouth! Perfect as an everyday treat and for Christmas and holidays!
This is the best peanut butter cookie recipe ever: soft and chewy with chocolatey peanut butter flavors! I’ve been making them for years and they’re always a hit whether it’s for afternoon tea, a potluck or holiday parties.
There’s no chilling time required and they turn out perfectly every time. Plus, they freeze well just like Chocolate Chip Cookies in case you want to make them in advance.
How to Make Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
These Reese’s cookies are foolproof if you follow these steps:
- Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Add peanut butter and the flour mixture. Mix well into a cookie dough.
- Take 1 tablespoon of the dough and shape into a ball.
- Place the ball into each mini muffin cup.
- Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly golden and puffed around the edges.
- Remove from oven and immediately press one mini peanut butter cup into the middle of each cookie until level.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, and the cup will be partially melted and shiny.
- Remove from pan and serve.
Use Regular Creamy Peanut Butter
I recommend using the regular creamy peanut butter for easier mixing. Natural peanut butter doesn’t work well for this recipe. I also recommend making the cookie dough from scratch using this recipe instead of buying premade dough. The store-bought dough doesn’t hold the shape well.
Soften the Butter Ahead of Time
Remember to take the butter out of the fridge ahead of time. If you forget, you can place the butter in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on 30% power for 15 seconds.
Don’t Over-bake the Cookies
Bake the cookies for only 8-10 minutes. The secret to soft cookies is to slightly under-bake them. This will yield puffy and soft cookies that melt in your mouth.
Gooey Peanut Butter Cup
After you remove your cookies from the oven, immediately press mini Reese peanut butter cups into the center of each cookie. The cookies are still in the muffin tin and are quite hot. You will notice that the chocolate surface of the peanut butter cups becomes shiny as it’s melting with the warmth from the cookies. It’s like magic!
If you like the ooey gooey texture, you can eat these peanut butter cup cookies while it’s slightly warm. See the picture above when I had a bite of the cookie.
If you prefer a more traditional texture, you can place the pan in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes. This will stop peanut butter cups from melting and keep its original texture.
How Long Do They Last
Store these peanut butter cup cookies in an airtight container. They can last for up to 1 week at room temperature and up to 3 months in the freezer.
This recipe makes 24 cups in a mini muffin pan like this one. You can get Reese’s mini peanut butter cups at most supermarkets or online too. An 8-ounce package is plenty for this recipe.
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Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 24 mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 24-cup miniature muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, mix butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla until smooth. Finally mix in peanut butter and flour mixture.
- Fill each miniature muffin cup with about one tablespoon of batter. Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly golden and puffed around the edges. Meanwhile, unwrap the peanut butter cups.
- Remove from oven and immediately press one peanut butter cup into the middle of each cookie until level.
- Cool 10-15 minutes in the pan, and the cup will be partially melted and shiny. Remove from pan and let cool on a rack.
Notes
- For the best results, use a creamy peanut butter where the oil doesn't separate out.
- When you remove the cookies from the oven, it's OK if the they could collapse a little bit.
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Made these for the first time and my husband loved them.
Hi Wanda, Thanks for your feedback and glad you enjoyed!
Family goes crazy over these! Super fast and easy to make.
Hi Sherry, So great to hear that and thanks!
Can you use peanut butter cookies in a tube instead of doing the cokie dough to save some time?
Hi Marilyn, Thanks for your comment and yes you absolutely can. Enjoy!