Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are chewy, brownie-like milk chocolate cookies stuffed with a creamy peanut butter filling and topped with chopped peanut butter cups. A final sprinkle of flaky salt makes them impossible to resist.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Classic baking staples meet the ultimate peanut butter candy. These are the essentials:
- Natural peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and a pinch of salt (for the filling)
- Milk chocolate, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cocoa powder (for the cookie base)
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt
- Chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
How to Make Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Prep the Peanut Butter Filling
Stir together peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt (if using). Scoop into teaspoon-sized mounds on a parchment-lined sheet and freeze until firm. The frozen centers stay creamy after baking instead of melting away.
Make the Cookie Dough
Melt milk chocolate gently in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir in sugar and salt, then cool slightly. Whisk in eggs and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients. Fold in chopped peanut butter cups and chill the dough for at least one hour.
Assemble and Bake
Flatten a ball of dough, wrap it around a frozen peanut butter filling, and pinch to seal. Roll smooth, then press more chopped peanut butter cups on top and sprinkle lightly with flaky salt.
Freeze the shaped dough balls for 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 375°F. Bake 8–9 minutes, until edges are set and centers are soft. Cool briefly on the pan, then transfer to a rack.
Why They’re Irresistible
- Frozen filling stays luscious and creamy after baking.
- Chilled dough keeps the cookies thick and chewy.
- Double Reese’s layers—in and on top of every bite.
- Flaky salt balances the rich chocolate perfectly.
Make Ahead & Storage
- Dough: Scoop and refrigerate up to 48 hours, or freeze for 2 months.
- Filling: Freeze the peanut butter centers up to 1 month.
- Leftovers: Store airtight 3–4 days; rewarm 10–15 seconds for a gooey middle.
Love peanut butter? Try my Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies, 2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge, and Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with Salted Caramel and Chocolate.
Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients
For peanut butter filling
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar (aka icing sugar/powdered sugar)
- Pinch of salt only if pb is unsalted
For cookies
- 10 oz milk chocolate chopped
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- flaky salt for topping (optional)
- 12 Reese Peanut Butter Cups chopped
Instructions
To Make Filling
- Stir together peanut butter, sugar and a pinch of salt (if using) in a small bowl. Drop by 24 teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid.
To Make Cookie Dough:
- Heat chocolate in a double boiler (or a large heat-safe bowl set over a pot of simmering water) until about 90% melted. Remove from heat and stir to finish melting completely. Stir in sugar and salt while still hot, then allow to cool 5 minutes.
- Slowly add a couple of tablespoonfuls of the chocolate mixture to the beaten eggs while whisking constantly to temper them (prevent them from curdling). Then gradually stir the egg mixture into the remaining chocolate batter along with vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture and stir well to fully incorporate. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 48 hours).
To Assemble Cookies
- Shape dough into 1 1/2" balls. To stuff them, flatten the ball, place a ball of frozen peanut butter filling in the center, then fold the cookie dough up over it and pinch shut. Roll between palms to form a nice ball again. Top each ball with a few pieces of chopped peanut butter cups and a sprinkle of salt. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake
- Place cookies 2″ apart on parchment-lined baking sheets (they spread quite a lot and will stick if no parchment!) and freeze for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375ºF (this reduces their spreading).
- Bake 8-9 minutes, until crackled at edges and still slightly underdone in centers. Cool a few minutes on baking sheet before transfering to wire cooling racks. Be sure to cool baking sheets (I just run them under cold water – I've never had too much warping occur as a result) between batches as warm sheets will cause the cookies to spread too quickly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very tasty cookies.