Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies — PB is used 3 different ways in these melt-in-your mouth cookies! Batch size of just 8 cookies when you don’t ‘need’ dozens laying around!
Easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Recipe
It’s no secret that I really love peanut butter. I wrote a cookbook with over 100 peanut butter recipes included. These cookies have peanut butter incorporated 3 ways because you can never have too much peanut butter.
As much as I don’t want to say that you can never have too many cookies, unfortunately sometimes, you can. I have no need for recipes that make 3 dozen cookies.
I don’t want that many cookies at once because I’ll burn out, not to mention, I don’t love cardio that much, so keeping batch sizes smaller is more practical. This peanut butter cup cookie recipe make just 8 cookies.
If you have a big family, teenage boys with supersonic metabolism, or need to make cookies for your next holiday cookie exchange, this isn’t the recipe for you. If you love super duper soft and moist peanut butter cookies that just melt in your mouth, and 8 cookies sounds about right, then these are perfect.
I studded peanut butter chips on the tops of the cookies to provide another layer of peanut butter flavor and because I thought it looked pretty. I was going to add chips to the dough, but decided I wanted the cookies to be buttery soft, smooth and uncluttered from chips, and just melt in your mouth.
And they do just that. They’re pillowy soft and puffy, and because I used baking powder rather than baking soda, there’s a lightness to them, and they remind me somewhat of Softbatch-style cookies.
They’re buttery, rich, and between the peanut butter, peanut butter cups, and peanut butter chips, they pack enough peanut butter punch to tame your fiercest peanut butter cravings.
It’s a good thing I only had 8 of these around.
What’s in Peanut Butter Cup Cookies?
To make these peanut butter cookies with peanut butter chips and peanut butter cups, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Peanut butter
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Mini peanut butter cups
- Peanut butter chips
How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Cream together the wet ingredients, then gently mix in the dry. Scoop the dough into 8 equal-sized balls, then top with a mini peanut butter cup and circle with peanut butter chips.
Chill for at least 3 hours. Once the dough has chilled, bake until the tops are just set. It’s okay if cookies are glossy, pale, and slightly underdone in the center because they firm up as they cool.
Let the peanut butter cookies with peanut butter chips and cups cool for 10 minutes before diving in.
Do I Have to Chill the Dough?
Yes!! It’s a very soft dough and you absolutely must chill it before baking or the cookies will spread like crazy and bake thin and flat. That would be bad because you need them to retain some thickness so the peanut butter cup and peanut butter chips have a nice plump based to stay perched on.
Can I Use Natural Peanut Butter?
No, you need to use a “traditional” PB brand like Jif or Skippy. Homemade and natural peanut butters are too oily and tend to separate in baked goods.
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Cookies with Peanut Butter Cups
I used Reese’s Minis and they’re sold in pouches in the candy aisle of any major grocery store, Target, or even gas stations. Trader Joe’s has mini peanut butter cups that will work, too. Try to use a mini cup because even the next size up may be a little too large and could overwhelm the cookies.
I love underbaked cookies but if you like crunchier or firmer cookies, bake a minute or two longer.
These peanut butter chip cookies are best warm and fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
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Soft and Chewy Triple Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter, not natural or homemade, too runny
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 8 mini peanut butter cups
- about 1/3 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl with electric mixer), combine egg, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamed, about 5 minutes. Mixture doesn’t get as fluffy as you may be used to when typically creaming ingredients for cookies.
- Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Divide dough into 8 equal-sized portions and roll between palms to form balls. Dough is very soft, limp, mushy, and you’ll have to be gentle with it.
- Add 1 peanut butter cup to the center of each ball, which flattens it.
- To each mound of dough, add about 8 peanut butter chips in a circle going around the peanut butter cup.
- Place dough mounds on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or for up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake flat and thin.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart .
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until tops are just set. It’s okay if cookies are glossy, pale, and slightly underdone in the center because they firm up as they cool. If you prefer crunchier or firmer cookies than shown, bake 1-2 minutes longer.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes:
All of my peanut butter recipes!
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chip Cookies – Super soft, perfectly chewy, BROWNED BUTTER cookies that are LOADED with two kinds of chips!! An EASY one-bowl, no-mixer recipe for irresistibly DELISH cookies!!
Lofthouse-Style Soft Peanut Butter Chip Sugar Cookies — Similar to Lofthouse Soft-Frosted Sugar Cookies, but these are for peanut butter fans! I added peanut butter and frosted them with peanut butter buttercream.
Peanut Butter Blossoms— These peanut butter blossoms feature soft and chewy peanut butter cookies topped with a Hershey’s chocolate kiss. A classic Christmas cookie recipe!
Reese’s Pieces Soft Peanut Butter Cookies — These Reese’s Pieces cookies are are LOADED with Reese’s Pieces and oozing, melted chocolate chips. Perfect any time of year!
The Best Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies — Soft, chewy and they’ll be your new fave PB cookies!! One bowl, no mixer, no butter, naturally gluten-free! Love it when something so easy tastes so amazing!!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies – My favorite ‘basic’ peanut butter cookies on my blog. My other favorites are in my book. There’s NO Flour, NO Butter, and NO White sugar! Soft, chewy & oozing with dark chocolate
Soft and Puffy Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Cookies – NO Butter and NO White Sugar used in these soft, puffy cookies that are bursting with peanut butter flavor!
Peanut Butter Comfort – My cookbook featuring over 100 Peanut Butter Recipes!
Hi Averie! I love your recipes and have been following you for a while. Just discovered I have a gluten intolerance and was wondering if I could substitute all purpose flour for a gluten free flour. Would these cookies turn out ok?
I really don’t sub with GF flours for the recipes I post so you will have to test things to see what’s going to work in your kitchen and with the flours you use. LMK how it goes. Leave a comment so it will help others, too :)
Hands down, you make the best cookies. Never mind that the flavors are always beyond my imagination, but the texture and the height of your cookies are just incredible! WOW! Beautiful!!!
You’re so sweet, Kate! Thank you!
Oh wow, these look heavenly! i love peanut butter cookies….Thanks for sharing this recipe…
Simon
Ok….so…not only are these cookies ULTRA peanut buttery (and thusly delicious) they’re also SUPER pretty!!! Mmmmmmmmm!
Oh boy …easy peasy looking recipe with luscious results … I’m drooling as I print the recipe. I need a little something to take to my sweetie for lunch in 3 hours and I want some delishioushness for him….. This is what I am choosing for today. I love that it looks easy, not that I am about easy cooking .. I don’t care how complicated or how many ingredients it takes to make something delish .. I just want it to be good. I’m thinking in my case this morning, easy and delish and take it to him…. I made artisan torta bread buns last night ..today I am stuffing them with sliced tequila lime seasoned grilled chicken slices, swiss cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, sweet pickles, and bacon with brown mustard. I don’t have a Panini press but George Forman’s grill works great for that .. with a few cookies, yum ! … His co-worker always says …geee ..Tom always gets food that looks like it comes from a gourmet restaurant … that looks dalishush ! .. :) I’m excited to look and try other recipes from you .. thank you .
Hope you enjoyed the cookies!
He them … thank you so much … :)
I have to say every recipe of yours that I have made so far has turned out great. And these cookies are now in the fridge waiting their 3 hours. I knew there was a good reason I asked my daughter to send me those mini peanut butter cups (I live in Italy, so I am lucky enough just to find peanut butter). I had to use semi sweet chipits because no peanut butter ones here. Thanks
That’s crazy that you can’t get PB or PB Cups, but I know it’s true. So many European readers say the same thing! Well, thank you for trying the cookies and glad you loved them!
Triple peanut butter sounds amazing!! Thank you for sharing these recipes!! You have such a lovely blog!
Feel free to visit my blog as well! There are tons of tips on fashion, beauty, style, health, personal growth and more! <3
Diana
http://www.ManhattanImageandStyle.com
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I am a true peanut butter lover and these look incredible. Thanks for sharing!
And the peanut butter queen has done it again! These look incredible Averie!
8 cookies?! God I could eat those within the first 5 minutes of coming out of the oven!?! I kind of love that you didn’t put any mix ins inside the dough just on top! I must try that!! Those mini pb cups (reeses and tjs) are ADDICTING!! I literally cannot control myself when they are around! Oops!
I remember you telling me that you’re a right off the cookie sheet girl and yep, these would be gone pretty quickly :) And the smoooooooth dough, no mix-ins in that part of it, that was my goal. Like an old-fashioned PB cookie in the middle with just enough on top to make it a little jazzed up. And those minis, yeah, need to rehome those quickly or else… :)
You TRULY are the peanut butter queen! And I’m so glad this makes 8 cookies too. That means I can hoard all of them and eat them off one by one without having to forcefully share since having 24 cookies is just crazy, although I’d do that too if I had supersonic metabolism!
And with all I bake, girl, to not have more on hand, such a relief :)
I LOVE small-batch recipes; keep them coming!! With our small two-person household (and my other half that hates PB and basically all desserts), it’s way too tempting to have more than a dozen cookies around at one time. And as much as I’d love to run 10 miles every day to work them off, my knees can’t take it (and I’m so slow that it’d take me half the day!). I love the way you decorated them too, especially with that tiny PB cup in the center. So cute!
Thanks for saying that about my decorating :) And your other half doesn’t like PB?! What’s wrong with him – more for us to have though :) Sorry to hear about your knees. I have bad knees too and they come and they go. But I can totally empathize!
You’re welcome! I know, he’s so strange. He hates PB but tolerates peanuts. Go figure… But yes, it means I know no one will ever get into my PB jar or Reese’s! ;) Hope your knees are having a good day the next time you run!
Peanut butter cookies are impossible to resist!
Me and cardio are NOT friends, but I would happily run a mile to eat all 8 of these pretties!!! LOVE them, Averie!
These look like peanut butter perfection! My flour less pb cookies with pb chips and Reese’s Pieces are my favorite cookies. I also get 8 per batch but most people would get more ;)
Averie – you are truly the queen of cookies! And your photos are always so stunning!
You are too sweet, thank you :)