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These giant Reese’s peanut butter cookies are filled with mini peanut butter cups and then topped with a full sizes Reese’s cup. Super soft and decadent, these bakery style peanut butter cup cookies are sure to impress any peanut butter lover!
If you love peanut butter cookies as much as I do, make sure to check out my chewy peanut butter cookies, holiday classic peanut butter blossoms, and peanut butter oatmeal cookies!
What You’ll Need For These Reeses Cookies
Asides from the peanut butter cups, this recipe uses simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure to use room temperature butter. If you use salted butter, you will need to adjust the amount of salt added separately.
- Peanut Butter: I used standard creamy peanut butter, be careful using natural peanut butters as they tend to be more oily and a little different in texture.
- Sugar: We’ll use both white and brown sugar.
- Egg: Preferably at room temperature so it is easier to blend.
- Vanilla Extract
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: Full size peanut butter cups and mini!
How To Make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Dry Ingredients:
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
- Beat:
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter and sugars, until fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla.
- Combine:
- Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Fold in the mini peanut butter cups.
- Roll:
- Form the dough into large balls, place on baking sheet and flatten into a disk.
- Bake:
- Bake cookies for 11 minutes, remove from the oven and immediately press a full size peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie.
- Cool:
- Let the cookies cool slightly before enjoying, or cool completely to serve at room temperature.
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Tips For The Best Reeses Peanut Butter Cookies
Here are a few tips to guarantee success!
- Don’t Over Bake: These cookies only bake for about 11 minutes, they will still look soft in the center when you take them out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool.
- Unwrap Before: Make sure to unwrap all the peanut butter cups before you start. Once the cookies come out of the oven, you want to be able to immediately press the full size Reese’s into the center.
- Chocolate Chips: If you want a little less packed of a cookie, you can swap the mini peanut butter cups for chocolate chips or Reese’s Pieces like in my Reese’s Pieces cookies.
- Speed Up Cooling: It will take a while for the peanut butter cups to cool and harden again to store. It’s best to let the cookies cool at room temperature, but if you are in a rush, you can place the cookie sheets in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
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How To Store Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
If you have somehow managed to not eat them all and somehow have leftovers, these cookies store great and stay soft for days! First, let them cool completely then store as follows:
- Counter: Store these Reese’s peanut butter cookies in an airtight container for up to five days. Add a slice of white bread to the container to keep your cookies extra soft, replace it every few days as it becomes stale.
- Fridge: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days. If you live where it’s warm and humid, it’s best to store them in the fridge.
- Freezer: Once completely cool, place them in a freezer bag and freeze up to six months. Let defrost at room temperature until defrosted throughout. Do not microwave to defrost or the chocolate will melt off the top before the cookie is defrosted.
- Freeze The Dough: This peanut butter cookie dough freezes really well. You can roll the cookies into balls, flatten them into disks and freeze them on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a baggie to store in the freezer, then defrost and bake as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Can I use natural peanut butter in these cookies?
Natural peanut butter tends to be oilier and can affect the dough texture. Creamy, shelf-stable peanut butter is best.
- → Do I need to chill the dough before baking?
No chilling is required. The dough is ready to scoop, shape, and bake immediately.
- → How do I keep these cookies soft?
Store them in an airtight container with a slice of white bread to help retain moisture for several days.
- → Can I freeze the cookies or dough?
Yes, both baked cookies and unbaked dough freeze well. Just thaw before serving or baking.
- → What’s the best way to add the full-size Reese’s on top?
Press the unwrapped full-size Reese’s into the center of each cookie immediately after baking while still warm.
- → Can I substitute the mini peanut butter cups?
Yes, chocolate chips or Reese’s Pieces are good alternatives for a different texture or flavor variation.