Peanut butter cup cookies are salty, sweet and soft peanut butter cookies, baked in a mini muffin pan and stuffed with a peanut butter cup. These Reese’s cup cookies are fun, easy to make and are perfect for everything from holiday cookie swaps to a fun weekend baking project with the family.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have a few peanut butter cookie recipes on the blog that I adore. My 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies, Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies, Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies and Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies are few of my favorite peanut butter cookie recipes from the blog. I know you’ll love these Reese cup cookies because:
- Layers of delicious flavors and textures. You will love the contrast of the soft and chewy peanut butter cookie with smooth creaminess of the milk chocolate and peanut butter cups.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. These mini pb cup cookies come together in one mixing bowl. Then simply scoop the peanut butter cookies dough into a mini muffin pan, bake and stuff with a mini peanut butter cup.
Ingredients
This easy peanut butter cookie cup recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather butter, creamy peanut butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, creamy peanut butter, an egg, vanilla extract and mini peanut butter cups.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these peanut butter with pb cup cookies if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make these chewy pb cookie cups gluten free by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based on weight (210 g) rather than volume in cups.
- Baking Soda: The baking soda gives the cookies a chewy texture.
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Use a creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Cashew butter makes a wonderful substitute for peanut butter. Sunflower butter is a great nut free substitute for peanut butter.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugars: Feel free to substitute one for the oher or maple sugar would also work well to make these cookies refined sugar free.
- Egg: This recipe has not been tested without an egg.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups: I love using Trader Joes milk chocolate peanut butter cups. Feel free to use the mini PB cups from Reese’s. White chocolate or dark chocolate peanut butter cups can also work well.
Variation
Regular Peanut Butter Cup Cookies: Prepare the cookie dough recipe as written. Rather than stuffing the baked cookie cup with peanut butter cups, chop each mini pb cup into quarters. Use 25- 30 peanut butter cups rather than the 36 - 40 cups called for in the original recipe. Mix the chopped pb cups just like chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough using a medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 10 - 12 minutes.
How To Make
Learn how to make peanut butter cup cookies in a few easy steps.
- Place 40 unwrapped mini peanut butter cups on a large plate or small baking sheet. Chill them in the freezer while preparing and baking the cookie dough.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter with the peanut butter until smooth and well combined. Add the light brown and granulated sugars and mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined. This takes about 2 -3 minutes. On low mixin the egg and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover the cookies in plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to rest and chill for 30 - 60 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for 30 minutes before baking the cookies. Grease each cavity of a 24 count mini muffin pan. Using a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoons, 15 ml), scoop the pb cookie dough into a ball. Place the cookie dough balls into the prepared mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 8 minutes. The cookie dough will puff up and fill the mini muffin cavities.
- As soon as the peanut butter cookie dough is pulled from the oven, press a chilled mini peanut butter cup down into the center of each cookie. Allow the pan to cool to room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes. Transfer the cooled muffin pan to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the fridge and use the end of a butter knife to gently pry the cookie cups from the pan.
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the peanut butter pb cup cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Make Ahead: Prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe directions up to mixing the dry ingredients into the wet and decide which storage method meets your needs.
- Freeze Dough: Prepare the cookies through the resting step. Chill for 30 minutes then scoop the dough into balls onto a small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting with baking the cookie dough in the mini muffin pan.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: Place the baked cookies onto a small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the cookie cups for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer the cookie cups to thaw at room temperature. Heat them in the microwave for 10 - 15 seconds until warmed through.
M’s Expert Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Rest the cookie dough. Rest and chill the peanut butter cookie dough while the oven preheats.
- Freeze the peanut butter cups while making and baking the cookie dough. Freezing the pb cups allows them to keep their shape more easily while pressing them into the hot peanut butter cookie dough.
- Fully cool the cookies in the mini muffin pan. These Reese cup cookies need to cool in the pan for 30 - 60 minutes. Then the cups need to chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes before being removed from the pan.
FAQs
Yes, these cookies freeze and thaw well. Just keep in mind that the peanut butter cup will melt once the cookie is heated. Allow the cookie to thaw at room temperature and then heat the cookie cup for 10 - 15 seconds in the microwave.
Yes, just make sure it’s a processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy.
To make these Reese’s cup cookies as regular cookies, prepare the recipe as written, but rather than stuffing the cookie cups with peanut butter cups, chop the PB cups into quarters and fold them into the peanut butter cookie dough. Scoop the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes
To make these as cookie cups, the size of the cookies needs to remain the same. To make these peanut butter cup filled cookies as regular cookies, feel free to use a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and bake for 12 - 14 minutes.
Other Peanut Butter and Chocolate Recipes to Try
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Peanut Butter Brownies
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
- Peanut Butter Mug Cake
If you try this Peanut Butter Cup Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 small baking sheet or large plate
- 1 24 ct. mini muffin pan
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml)
Ingredients
- 36 - 40 mini peanut butter cups
- 1¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, soft but still cool to the touch
- ¾ cup (192 g) creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place 36 - 40 unwrapped mini peanut butter cups on a large plate or small baking sheet. Chill them in the freezer while preparing and baking the cookie dough.36 - 40 mini peanut butter cups
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.1¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter with the peanut butter until smooth and well combined. Add the light brown and granulated sugars and mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined. This takes about 2 -3 minutes.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, soft but still cool to the touch , ¾ cup (192 g) creamy peanut butter , ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- On low mix in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover the cookie dough in plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to rest and chill for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.1 large egg, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for 30 minutes before baking the cookies. Grease each cavity of a 24 count mini muffin pan. Using a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoons, 15 ml), scoop the pb cookie dough into a ball. Place the cookie dough balls into the prepared mini muffin pan.
- Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 8 minutes. The cookie dough will puff up and fill the mini muffin cavities. As soon as the peanut butter cookie dough is pulled from the oven, press a chilled mini peanut butter cup down into the center of each cookie. Allow the pan to cool to room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes. Transfer the cooled muffin pan to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the fridge and use the end of a butter knife to gently pry the cookie cups from the pan.
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