Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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These peanut butter cup cookies are the perfect cookie for chocolate peanut butter fans. A soft peanut butter cookie is coated in sugar and topped with a peanut butter cup!
These peanut butter cup cookies are in my top 5 favorite cookie recipes. They’re like peanut butter blossoms but even more delicious because they are topped with a giant peanut butter cup instead of a chocolate kiss!
This recipe is easy to make and really fun to put together with kids. My little ones love pressing the frozen peanut butter cup into the top of the baked peanut butter cookies!
Reeses peanut butter cup cookies are sure to be one of the first cookies to disappear from your Christmas Cookie trays this holiday season!
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter or vegan butter are good substitutes.
- Peanut Butter. I recommend using a variety of peanut butter that is solid at room temperature.
- Whole Milk.you can substitute heavy cream or half and half for the milk.
- Light Brown Sugar. If you like a little bolder, molasses taste use dark brown sugar.
- Granulated Sugar. white sugar or organic cane sugar are the best choices.
- Cinnamon. a definitely flavor enhancer in this recipe – but you can omit it if you prefer.
- Peanut butter cups. use your favorite variety. I prefer these Unreal peanut butter cups. But you can use the classic Reese’s if you prefer. I like the flat, regular size peanut butter cups because then you get more of them in each bite of cookie. However, you can use the minis if you’d prefer!
How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
We’ll walk through this recipe together step-by-step, and remember to watch the video for additional guidance!
Note on Chilling
The dough has to chill for 1 hour and the peanut butter cups need to freeze during that time too! Prepare accordingly.
Begin by unwrapping and freezing 24 peanut butter cups. This is very important, because frozen cups will hold their shape when pressed into the warm cookies.
Then, make the peanut butter cookies. Begin by combining the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Then, either in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth.
Next, add the sugars and beat for about 1 minute.
Then, add the milk, egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Next, add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until just incorporated.
Then, transfer the dough to an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes, and up to overnight.
Once dough is chilled, use a small cookie scoop to measure 1 ½ Tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball.
Repeat until all the dough has been used.
Then, roll the balls of dough in granulated sugar until lightly and evenly coated.
Place the dough balls on a baking sheet with at least 1 ½ inches between them (usually 12 fit on a standard large baking sheet).
Then, bake the peanut butter cup cookies in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes until the cookies look set and puffed.
Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately place one frozen peanut butter cup in the middle of each cookie and gently press it into the cookie.
Let the Reese’s peanut butter cup cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Let the cookies cool for at least 3 hours for best texture!
Serve
Serve the peanut butter cup cookies once they have reached room temperature. They are delicious when they are slightly warm, but they are also slightly messy!
Serve them with your other favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes!
Store/Freeze
Store peanut butter cup cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Thaw slowly at room temperature and do not microwave.
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies Recipe FAQS
Yes, you can double it and make 48 cookies.
I like unreal peanut butter cups. Or you can use standard Reese’s peanut butter cups or minis.
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Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (for coating)
- 24 peanut butter cups (unwrapped and frozen)
Instructions
- Unwrap 24 peanut butter cups. Place unwrapped candies in a container and put them in the freezer.
- In a small bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth.
- Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy (about 60 seconds).
- Add milk, egg and vanilla and beat for 60 seconds until the mixture is light in color and sugar is dissolved.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined.
- Transfer dough to an airtight container.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes, and up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Use a small cookie scoop to measure 1 ½ TBS dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
- Rolls the balls of dough in granulated sugar until lightly and evenly coated.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet with at least 1 ½ inches between them (usually 12 fit on a standard large baking sheet).
- Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes until the cookies look set and puffed.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately place one frozen chocolate kiss candy in the middle of each cookie and gently press it into the cookie.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Let the cookies cool for at least 3 hours for best texture!
Video
Notes
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter or vegan butter are good substitutes.
- Peanut Butter. I recommend using a variety of peanut butter that is solid at room temperature.
- Whole Milk.you can substitute heavy cream or half and half for the milk.
- Light Brown Sugar. If you like a little bolder, molasses taste use dark brown sugar.
- Granulated Sugar. white sugar or organic cane sugar are the best choices.
- Cinnamon. a definitely flavor enhancer in this recipe – but you can omit it if you prefer.
- Peanut butter cups. use your favorite variety. I prefer these Unreal peanut butter cups. But you can use the classic Reese’s if you prefer. I like the flat, regular size peanut butter cups because then you get more of them in each bite of cookie. However, you can use the minis if you’d prefer!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
