Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Updated Oct 31, 2026
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These peanut butter cup cookies are one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes! Soft and chewy peanut butter cookies are rolled in sugar, baked, and topped with a peanut butter cup. They’re easy (no muffin pan) and delicious!
If you love peanut butter blossoms, you have to try these peanut butter cup cookies. They’re made with a soft peanut butter cookie base, but instead of a chocolate kiss, each cookie is topped with an entire peanut butter cup. And I’m telling you, they’re even better!
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 creamy peanut butter that is solid at room temperature. Avoid peanut butter that separates or is runny because it can make the cookies thin and spread.
- 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. I love the subtle flavor the cinnamon adds to these peanut butter cookies, 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 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!
Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Freeze the peanut butter cups. Freezing the peanut butter cups before pressing them into the warm cookies helps them hold their shape instead of melting.
- Chill the cookie dough. Don’t skip chilling or your cookies will be flat.
- Use a cookie scoop. I recommend using 1 ½ to 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie so they bake evenly and are the perfect size for the peanut butter cups.
- Don’t overbake. The cookies only need 8-9 minutes in the oven. Remove them when they look set and puffed. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Add the peanut butter cups immediately. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently press a frozen peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie.
- Let them cool completely. The peanut butter cups will melt a little when they’re pressed into the cookies, so it’s important to let them cool on the wire rack before stacking them so the chocolate sets.
How to Serve Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Serve the cookies once they have reached room temperature. They are delicious when they are slightly warm, but they are also slightly messy!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
Serve them with your favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes! Here are some suggestions:
- Cut out sugar cookies
- The best chocolate chip cookies (14,000 5-star reviews)
- Classic oatmeal cookies
- Chocolate peanut butter chip cookies
- Thumbprint cookies
How to Store or Freeze Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
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.
Yes, I recommend chilling the dough for at least 1 hour before baking. Chilling helps the cookies hold their shape and prevents them from spreading too much in the oven.
Freezing the peanut butter cups helps them hold their shape when you press them into the warm cookies. I recommend unwrapping and freezing a few hours before baking the cookies.
Yes! You can make the cookie dough and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Video
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
Freeze the Peanut Butter Cups
- Unwrap 24 peanut butter cups. Place unwrapped candies in a container and put them in the freezer.
Make & Chill the Dough
- 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 for 1 minute.
- Add sugars and beat for an additional 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
- Then add the milk, egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, until the mixture is light in color and the 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 1 hour, and for up to 2 days.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375℉ (177℃). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure 1 ½ to 2 TBS dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
- Roll 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 peanut butter cup 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.
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. For a bolder molasses taste use dark brown sugar.
- Granulated Sugar. White sugar or organic cane sugar are the best choices.
- Cinnamon. This adds so much flavor to 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.
