Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Published: 08/25/2020 | Updated: 04/04/2024

These Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are a classic cookie recipe that you’ll want to add to your collection! A rich peanut butter cookie stuffed with a Reese’s peanut butter cup is the ultimate peanut lovers dream recipe!

I could (and possibly do) eat peanut butter by the spoonful.

I just can’t get enough of it and will always be trying to think of new ways to use it both in baking and in cooking. It’s such a versatile ingredient that it goes with sweet and savory dishes.

But there’s nothing quite like a classic peanut butter cookie or the famous Reese’s peanut butter cup.

They’re both so perfect that it’s only logical to put the two together! These peanut butter cookies have been my favorite cookies of mine since childhood. Quickly review our new peanut butter sprinkle cookies recipe. These peanut butter sprinkle cookies are a holiday favorite. They are easy to make and taste delicious.

I’m always thrilled when I see them on Christmas cookie trays from friends and neighbors. But honestly, these are delicious year-round so don’t just pigeon hole them as a Christmas cookie. Spread the love to the other 11 months too! They’re worth it!

Tips to Making Peanut Butter Cup Cookies:

You can pretty much just use your favorite peanut butter cookies recipe for this. It doesn’t have to be a specific recipe, so feel free to use your own if it’s already tried and true for you.
In fact, this is kind of sacrilegious to mention on a food blog, but you can even use a tube of refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough from the grocery store if that’s easier for you. That’s how much I want you to try this cookie… I’ll even okay this shortcut!
The key to these adorable little cookies is using a mini muffin tin. That let’s you hold the shape and gives you the perfect little cookie to hold something the size of a mini Reese’s.
If you don’t have a mini muffin tin, you can still use a cookie sheet, they just won’t end up this shape. They’ll look more like Peanut Butter Blossom cookies with Hershey’s Kiss on them. They’ll still taste great, but somehow I feel like they taste better when you get the shape with the mini muffin cups.
You don’t need to grease your muffin tin first. There’s enough oil from the peanut butter, that these will slide right out.
Shape your dough balls into about 1″ balls and place in the cavity of each muffin tin.
Be sure you don’t press down on the dough at all. Just place the ball of dough in and let it go! As it bakes, it will puff up and take the shape of the opening all on it’s own, without any help from you.
The secret to a really good peanut butter cookie is to underbake them slightly. They’ll finish cooking in the pan for another minute or two so you really want to make sure you remove them from the oven a little bit before they’re actually done cooking. I’ve found that 375 degrees for about 8 minutes are the sweet spot for me.
Once they’re done baking, remove them from the oven and set the pan on a cooling rack. Press an unwrapped mini peanut butter cup into the center of each one. You want to make sure you do this while the cookies are still hot from the oven so melt the bottom of the peanut butter cup and help it stick.
These cookies freeze really well so once they’re completely cool, you can pop them in a freezer bag or air-tight container for later if you want.
You can also store them in an airtight container for about 5 days or so to enjoy them immediately.

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