Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are soft and chewy peanut butter cookies topped with mini Reese’s peanut butter cups and dipped in chocolate.
People aren’t shy when it comes to their opinions about peanut butter. It is one of those foods folks either love or hate. For those who can’t get enough of it, the only thing that can make peanut butter any better is combining it with chocolate. These quick Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are easy-to-make and downright delicious. Once you try this recipe, you will definitely want to make these homemade peanut butter cup cookies again and again. They are perfect for birthday parties, cookie exchanges, or just snacking on at home.
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What Peanut Butter Should I Use?
Peanut butter has come a long way. Twenty years ago, the only choice a shopper had when choosing which type to buy was creamy or smooth. Today, the options seem endless: All-natural, low sugar, no-sugar-added, low sodium, trans-fat free, and the list goes on. While you may already have a favorite for spreading on bread, it might not be the best choice for this Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies recipe.
Premium, natural peanut butters are among the healthiest options out there, but they don’t work well in baking recipes. These healthier brands don’t typically use any stabilizer to prevent the peanut oil from separating. This tendency to separate can cause baked goods made with these brands to spread out in the oven. You definitely don’t want that to happen. So, stick with those fancy peanut butters for lunch and use a “regular” creamy peanut butter, like Jif or Peter Pan, for these cookies.
Do I Really Need to Put the Cookie Dough in the Freezer?
Yes, you do. Patience is a virtue for baking, and allowing the extra time for the cookies to sit in the freezer makes a huge difference in how your homemade peanut butter cup cookies turn out. Not only does chilling the dough stop your cookies from overspreading, but the extra step improves their taste and texture.
The 15 or so minute rest in the freezer allows the dry ingredients, like flour and sugar, more time to soak in the moisture from the wet ingredients ensuring an even hydration level throughout the cookie. A consistent level of moisture helps prevent the cookies from baking unevenly and becoming crumbly.
Melting Chocolate Like a Professional
The best method for melting chocolate is in the microwave since it’s quick and requires the least amount of clean-up. Start by choosing a shallow and not too wide microwave-safe container to use for melting your chocolate chips. Using a shallow container will make it easier to dip your cookies later.
Spread the chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the dish and hat for 30 seconds on 50 percent power. After 30 seconds, give the chocolate a good stir to evenly distribute the heat and prevent the chocolate from scorching. Heat for another 30 seconds and stir again. Repeat until the chocolate is entirely melted. You should start to reduce the microwaving time to 10-second intervals when most of the chocolate is melted.
Tips for Making Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Use a dipping fork. Get the most even chocolate coating by using a dipping fork. Dipping forks are cheap, and you can find them online,
- Keep a close watch on the cookies as they bake. Take the cookies out of the oven at the first sign of browning.
Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Peanut butter
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Whole milk
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Reese’s mini peanut butter cups
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Place the peanut butter, butter, and sugar in a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add egg yolk and milk. Mix until combined.
- Add flour and salt. Stir to combine.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to place cookie dough balls on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 9 to 12 minutes or until they are slightly golden on the edges.
- As soon as you remove them from the oven, place a Reese’s mini peanut butter cup in the center of each cookie.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Melt chocolate chips in the microwave.
- Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate and place them on parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Allow the chocolate to fully set before removing them from the parchment paper.
Recipe Tips
You can use a tablespoon or a scale instead of the cookie scoop to make your cookies the same size. The cookie scoop I used is about 1.5 tablespoons.
You can leave the cookies in the freezer for longer before baking them, but keep in mind that they will need extra time in the oven since they are completely frozen.
If the Reese’s mini peanut butter cups are individually wrapped, unwrap them before taking the cookies out of the oven.
Place the chocolate-dipped cookies on parchment paper or silicone mat because chocolate doesn’t stick to either of those surfaces.
Love homemade cookies and bars? Try these recipes!
- Almond Cookies
- Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
- Cranberry Pecan Cookies
- Cream Cheese Cookies
- Easy Lemon Bars
- Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
- Pineapple Cookies
- Red Velvet Brownies
Favorite Candy Treats
Check out more of my simple cookie recipes and the best Christmas treats recipes here on CopyKat!
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 30 mini Reese's
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Place the peanut butter, butter and sugar in a bowl and mix with a spatula until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolk and milk and mix until combined. Fold in the flour and salt
- Use a medium cookie scoop to make balls the same size and place them on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until they are slightly golden on the edges.
- As soon as you remove them from the oven, place a Reese’s mini in the center of each cookie. You want to do this before the cookies fully set. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, mixing in between, until all the chocolate is fully melted. Mine took a minute and a half.
- Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate and place them on parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Wait until the chocolate is fully set to remove them from the parchment paper.
Notes
- You can use a tablespoon or a scale instead of the cookie scoop to make your cookies the same size. The cookie scoop I used is about 1.5 tablespoons.
- You can leave the cookies in the freezer for longer before baking them, but keep in mind that they will need extra time in the oven since they are completely frozen.
If the Reese’s minis are individually wrapped, unwrap them before taking the cookies out of the oven. - I placed the chocolate covered cookies on parchment paper/silicone mat because I find the chocolate doesn’t stick to either of those surfaces.
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